Hell Café
by dinocavallones
Summary: A bored drawl was evident in the waiter's deep voice as he handed Tsuna a menu. "My name is Rokudo Mukuro, and, no, my good looks are not an illusion. Now, what would you like to have?" AU!6927! RE-VAMPED.
1. Hell Cafe

**Summary:** Tsuna was just trying to look for a job, so it was a little surprising when he stepped into a café and was not immediately creeped out by a certain perverted, mismatched-eyed man waiting his table. Mukuro was the kind of guy Tsuna never wanted to be around with, but he soon finds that Mukuro is exactly the kind of guy he can't live without. Oh, and for the sake of unique introductions: "I'll be your waiter for today. My name is Rokudo Mukuro, and, no, my good looks are not an illusion. Now, what would you like to have?" If it's not obvious enough: Main 6927 plus sidepairings.

**Warnings:** Other than slow updates? Hmh, boylove, useless tunas, random (sometimes unneeded) information, unfunny funnies, pervertedness, lots of coffee (no wonder Tsuna's so short), boylove, swearing, more boylove, a somewhat self-obsessed metrosexual (no, I'm kidding~), and the lack of a solid plot.

**Pairings and Disclaimers: **JSYK, there will be...many pairings. The characters, however, do not belong to me. My heart breaks every time I think that, but it's true. ;~;

**Self-Proclaimed Hero says:** Uhh, first KHR chaptered ficcie? Enjoy the read anyway, lovelies. :3 Don't forget to review/flame/crit at the end. I'll remind you when you get to the bottom. ;)

* * *

**Hell Café****  
**_It's a world of its own – Mukuro R. & Tsuna S._

_**Prologue  
**__One Month Ago_

With his long, navy hair billowing in the wind, Mukuro tried to steady himself onto his feet. He had fallen onto his knees, worn out from running. He had escaped _them_. That prison that had kept him captive for serial killing – or how society liked to brand it as: Massacring an entire school. That was almost exactly five years ago, and to his surprise, he wasn't as infamous as he thought he'd be. With his head bent and his hands placed in front of him on the ground, his long, unkempt bangs shadowed his mismatched – red and blue – eyes as a dark smirk started to spread on his face,

"Kufufu…fu…" he snickered softly. The mere chuckle started to increase in volume. He had _escaped. _What can he do now? The ideas were absolutely thrilling. He could try and hunt down his friends...yes, he could do that. In any case, Ken and Chikusa would find him on their own sooner or later.

He had no idea where he was. He had been running and running, down that hill, through the forest, and he had probably passed a few small towns as well. Mukuro had a trivial assumption that, maybe, he was now in a small city in Italy. How he had managed to run for that long, he didn't know. He was now parched, half-starved, and completely exhausted.

Mukuro blinked, the ground starting to sway underneath him. His vision was growing groggy, and he found that his head was starting to spin. And why did the sidewalk look like it was coming up to greet his face? Mukuro had only realized the reason why when his forehead connected with the asphalt and he rolled off into a dead faint.

* * *

A door slammed shut, the resounding sound echoing inside the room.

"He's coming around."

The first thing Mukuro noticed first was the soft, cushiony sofa he was lying on. The second thing he _heard _after the first voice was a resolute grunt from his left.

"Good. I was starting to wonder why there was trash on my couch."

Mukuro stirred slightly, blinking his eyes blearily. Instinctively, he tried bringing his hand up to meet his right eye, the one that was colored with a deep red, but found that he couldn't. The heavy blanket on him prevented him from doing so. Shifting onto his back, he slowly sat up and felt the blanket sliding off him. He caught sight of a miniature baby with a black and orange fedora, and perched on top of that was a lime-green chameleon. Mukuro raised an eyebrow, but the baby spoke up first,

"Ciaossu! You finally woke up."

Mukuro didn't say anything; his throat was still burning from not drinking anything, but he wasn't about to ask them for water. His eyes travelled over to the man sitting languidly in a chair in front of him and he couldn't help but take in the scars on the left side of the man's face. Even though the dark-haired man had his own eyes closed, for some reason, Mukuro _knew _that the other was paying considerate attention to what was happening in the room. A small smirk pulled at his lips, "Where am I?"

"A café."

"And who are you?"

"My name is Reborn, the manager of this café," the baby answered simply, and without turning back, he added, "And the man behind me is Xanxus Vongola. Why don't you say 'hi', Xanxus?"

The scarred man lazily slid both crimson eyes open, but Mukuro didn't flinch from his belittling stare. Black threatening clouds of annoyance were being emitted from the elder, but Mukuro pretended not to notice it. He matched it with a playful smile; he even dared to say, "Kufufufu, how mean-looking, _Xanxus-chan_."

Xanxus's expression darkened at the name, "Don't take advantage of my hospitality, trash."

"_Your _hospitality?" Mukuro kept his smile plastered on his face, but he inwardly frowned upon being called 'trash'. What was this guy's problem? He glanced at the baby named Reborn, "I thought you said this was _your _café."

"Xanxus owns the place during the night shift," Reborn cast a casual glance at the window; the sky was adorned with a black cover called night and dimly lit stars. "It's night-time now."

Mukuro scoffed, swinging his legs off the couch. He regretted doing so since he had been so comfortable, but he didn't feel like there was any need to be staying. He was no longer tired, in any case. Just as he stood up, Xanxus smirked haughtily, "Leaving, scum?"

Mukuro didn't stop walking away, but his head turned by the slightest bit of movement, and their eyes met with a burning detestation for each other, "I'm headed for the door, aren't I, Xanxus-chan?"

"You must really want to die, tra—"

"Stay here."

Reborn's voice piped up right after Xanxus's low rumble. Mukuro stopped in his tracks, a little surprised by this abrupt statement. Did this Reborn baby _not _know who he was? Balancing himself on the heel of his foot, Mukuro swiveled around to face the baby with a cocky smile, "Stay here?"

"Work here, I mean," Reborn hopped off the couch and onto the floor. Mukuro had to bend down from his tall height or his neck would end up having a crick later on, "Do you have a place to stay?"

_How would he know?_ Mukuro mused, shaking his head, "I don't, but I don't need your help—"

"Alright then, so you'll be working here. There are a few rules that apply to the people who work during the day, but you'll be taking the night shift and occasionally taking the mornings if someone is sick."

"I've never heard of a café that has nightshifts," Mukuro ruminated.

"The café is closed at night. The bar is in the basement," Reborn smirked, turning his back on Mukuro. "That's where you'll be working. In return, you can stay here on the second floor. I'm sure you won't be of any trouble," he averted his attention towards Xanxus, "You don't mind, do you?"

Xanxus just grunted, crossing his arms and sliding his eyes shut as he rested against the back of his chair. Mukuro shifted his gaze from the baby on the ground, to the grumpy man near the wall, then back to Reborn. He felt a chuckle bubbling its way through his throat, and he didn't bother to stop it from escaping his lips, "Do you _really_ want me to work here?"

"We could use a guy like you," Reborn smiled knowingly.

"Use me? Kufufu," Mukuro hid an amused smile behind a cold hand, "If you say so." Silence filled the room; nothing could be heard except Xanxus's quiet breathing. There was still something that was on his mind, "Don't you know who I am?" he whispered ominously.

The meaningful glint in Reborn's black eyes was all he needed to see. The baby knew exactly who he was, so then…why? Xanxus just continued to look like he didn't care, but Mukuro's mismatched eyes were all for Reborn. The twenty-three year old man had no intentions of going on a killing spree again, but what made Reborn so sure that he wouldn't go bloodthirsty again? The corners of Reborn's lips curled,

"Our town doesn't read the newspaper, but of course I know who you are. You are Rokudo Mukuro, and you now work at _Caffè di inferno. _You don't have to worry about your identity. We'll take care of that for you, though it will not be permanent. You'll be starting work tonight. Get your uniform on. It's waiting for you upstairs in your room."

"Looks like you got everything planned out even before I came here, kufufu."

At this, Xanxus answered him with a menacing growl, "We're never unprepared. Now get to work, scum, or it's back to the streets with you."

* * *

**Chapter One**  
_Present_

Sawada Tsunayoshi wrapped his thick snow-white scarf around his neck even tighter as another car passed by the sidewalk, causing the whip of mildly cold fall air to swirl around him. He was utterly exhausted after having to run around his neighborhood in exertion to find himself a job. Twenty-two years old, and he was still depending on his mother for money. Sure, he rented a room in a decent apartment a few months ago, but he still needed cash to pay the charge. His best friend, Gokudera, was more than willing to lend Tsuna some money, but the brunet wouldn't allow it.

And anyways, his home-tutor, Reborn, thought it was about _time _that Tsuna started searching for a job.

So now here he was, standing stiffly beside a tall, black lamppost by the side of the road, a rumpled stack of résumés held tightly in his quivering hands. He had gone to almost every building on this street, all of which had rejected him with either a dismissive glare or a smile with fake words: _We'll consider it._

Tsuna sighed wearily, his grip on his papers loosening a bit, "I really am No-Good Tsuna," he murmured, his sneakers slapping against the cold, grey pavement as he stumbled towards the last building on this street. He took in the sight of the café with his eyes; he hadn't noticed this here before, but then again, he wasn't one to go out regularly.

It had a warm sort of aura around it. The inside walls looked like they had just been tinted with a fresh coat of paint, giving the café a welcoming vibe. Despite the chilly air, Tsuna felt his entire body's temperature shooting up a few degrees just by staring at the interior of the place. He made a face, shivering. _I hope I didn't fall in love with the café, _he laughed quietly to himself, his big brown eyes moving up to the name which was in lit, cursive letters.

_**Caffè di inferno**__  
Open_

And then underneath it, in small print, was:

_Café hours: _7:00 AM – 6:30 PM  
_Bar hours: _7:00 PM – 6:30 AM

If Tsuna remembered correctly, he was almost sure that those words meant _Café of Hell. _Or was it _Hell Café? _Either wasn't entirely certain of _why _it would be named that, but he supposed it didn't matter. _I'll just go in for a few minutes and warm up, _Tsuna thought absentmindedly, pawing at his pockets to see if he had some extra change. Sure enough, he did; it was enough to buy himself a coffee. He was going to need it, anyway. Bells above the door chimed as he stepped in, and he smiled at the warmth that greeted him.

The couple before him had walked over to an empty table without waiting to be seated, so he guessed that he didn't need to wait. Finding a small, wooden table by the window, he loosened the scarf around his neck as he sat down. Letting the papers fall out of his hands and onto the surface, he moaned resignedly before pushing his face into his arms. Maybe he could try and get a job here.

"Hi, m'name's Dino and I'll be your waiter for today."

As Tsuna glanced up to see a tall, blond male grinning down at him, he watched as the elder slapped a hand to his forehead, "Oh, yeah, I forgot. And I have a pet turtle named Enzo. He's really cute, but he can be…a bit scary when I accidentally drop him in water." With that added random information, the man named Dino flipped open a small notebook from his back pocket and tilted his head to the side, his chocolate brown eyes glinting eagerly, "What would you like today?"

"Um…" Tsuna was too busy staring at Dino's tattoos to even remind the blond that he didn't even get a menu yet. His eyes travelled down the man's sharp attire; he was dressed in nearly all black, with the black waistcoat and the dark, dark pants. His bowtie, however, was clumsily fixed around his collar. A tattoo sleeve covered most of his left hand and his muscular arm, and Tsuna traced his way through the matrix of designs with his eyes.

"Mahh, you used that same introduction just this morning." Another male waiter, one with short, spiky black hair, leaned on Dino's shoulder casually, flashing Tsuna a quick grin, "You can't use the same one. It won't be fun."

"I can't think of another one, Yamamoto," Dino cheerily complained, stuffing the notebook back into his pants pocket, "I already used: _I used to take horse-back riding lessons when I was five _three times last week. Enzo _is_ interesting, in any case," there was a short pause, then, "Oh, I got it!" As he whipped around to say his 'random info' to Tsuna, his hand whacked the side of the other waiter's face, causing Yamamoto to fall over and hit his head at the corner of a nearby empty table. His legs caught around Dino's somehow and the blond fell on top of him, his head crashing against the tiled ground. Tsuna's eyes bulged; he didn't know what to do.

"A-ah!" He jumped out of his seat and frantically maneuvered around the incapacitated two. "Are you two okay?!"

"Hnnh, my head…" Yamamoto grumbled, holding his aching skull. Dino mouthed his apologies over and over as Tsuna stood helplessly by the side.

"Oya, oya, you two are making a scene…"

A shadow towered over Tsuna and for some reason, the sudden darkness sent chills running up and down his spine. "Eep," Tsuna squeaked as he whirled around. There was a man hovering over him, a smile on his face, though Tsuna wasn't sure if it was fake or not. But the first thing he noticed about this man was his eyes. They were oddly mismatched; the right being blood-red and the left colored a deep blue. Were those…real? His outfit was the same as the other waiter's (obviously), but the only difference was that the man's bowtie was neatly done, contrasting the pale white dress-shirt he wore underneath the black. Tsuna heard Dino speak from behind him,

"It was an accident~"

"Kufufu, an accident that happens every other hour of the day? I'll take it from here," the lean man flipped out his own notebook and as he turned around to see what the time was, Tsuna couldn't help but notice the length of the man's navy hair; it nearly went down to his waist. It was tied into a loose ponytail, but he wondered if it ever got in the way. His breath hitched in his throat as the man swiveled around again; he caught the man's red eye first, then the indigo. Those were really starting to creep him out…

The man's eyebrow lifted in slight amusement when he noticed just how tense Tsuna was. Leaning in a little closer, almost mockingly, a bored drawl was evident in his deep, mellow voice as he handed Tsuna a menu, "I'll be your waiter for today. My name is Rokudo Mukuro, and, no, my good looks are not an illusion. That is a fact; no need to stare, kufufu."

"EH? I wasn't—"

The man flashed Tsuna a beguiling smirk, ceasing the other's words immediately, "Shall I give you a minute to decide on what you want?"

"O-okay…? I mean, yes, please." As he flipped open the menu, Tsuna started to wonder what was with all this extra bits of information given to him. He really didn't need to know that Dino had a pet turtle at home, or that this – what was his name again? – Mukuro was a narcissistic, egotistical, self-centered, maybe-a-little-bit-good-looking –

Tsuna stopped himself in time, shaking his head to get rid of that ridiculous thought. He didn't know how it had gotten there. Besides, the added information - maybe it was just part of their job? To make things interesting? That was his guess, anyway. He tried not to focus on the fact that Mukuro was still standing right beside him, but instead, he stared hard at the menu, attempting to concentrate on the words.

"Ah, that one was different, Mukuro-san," Dino laughed, finally picking himself off the ground and helping Yamamoto up as well. As another waitress walked by and overheard, she muttered,

"No, it's not. He's always complimenting himself. You'd think he was in love with himself."

Mukuro's lips pulled into a dark smirk, "Maybe I am," he sounded cynical about it though, "It's the first time I've used that anyway," he waved his hand, urging the woman to leave. She didn't.

"Why are you here anyway? I thought you had the night shift."

Mukuro chuckled, but Tsuna could tell he was evidently strained, "I thought I had the night shift too. Dear Chrome is sick in bed again and I had no choice but to take her spot. I've been up for twenty-four hours now, and I'd much rather be sleeping upstairs," the woman scowled at his answer, turning around to leave. Mukuro glanced at Tsuna, "I'll be back."

"Kay."

Finally, Tsuna was left alone to scrutinize his menu. He already knew what he wanted to order, of course, but he wanted anything that would be able to hide him from those intimidating eyes of Mukuro. For some reason, he wanted that clumsy Dino to come back and serve him. At least he had a friendly sort of smile on his face and Tsuna would feel less of a dork asking him if he could work here. Questioning Mukuro seemed…out of the question. Tsuna's gaze had drifted out the window and he didn't even realize that he was spacing out until he heard a familiar voice saying,

"Are you ready to order?"

"HIII!" Tsuna's menu dropped onto the table surface from the shock and from the side, he heard a soft 'kufufu'. Tsuna frowned disapprovingly at the tall waiter, feeling slightly flustered, "You startled me."

"That was not my intention," an icy smile crossed Mukuro's lips as he held out his notebook, ink pen in hand. Tsuna waited for an apology, though he wasn't really expecting one. When the waiter's mouth did not move, Tsuna sighed, glancing down at the menu on the table.

"I think…I just want coffee. Black with sugar."

"You think?" Mukuro mused, scribbling one word down. "We're in a dark mood, aren't we?"

Tsuna was just about to protest that he _wasn't _in a bad mood when he suddenly remembered his jobless situation. It was like Mukuro had read his mind and had intentionally made him feel worse. He wasn't blaming the waiter, of course, but he wished that he could find somewhere to _work _already. He was staring at the table when he saw Mukuro's hand on the edge; he was leaning forward again, towering the small brunet with his shadow.

"Is that all?" the words were softly mocking him, as were those disturbingly mismatched eyes.

_I want to work here, _Tsuna thought at the back of his head as he nodded dutifully, "Th-that's all." _I can't think straight with those eyes staring at me…_ Tsuna watched as the man tore the paper out of the notebook and strode off into the opposite direction. Tsuna returned his stare back onto the table. He had to pluck up the courage to ask! He couldn't be No-Good Tsuna all over again, afraid of every little thing in his path. He was twenty-two now, for Chrissake!

He gripped his résumé in his hand, unintentionally crushing it with his nervous fingers. Just as he was about to stand up and ask Mukuro whether or not he could apply here for the job, the bells by the door chimed and he was distracted for just a moment. A girl with short, wavy orange hair walked in, hands buried deep in her warm trench coat, and rushed through to the counter where the cashier was. "Ah, hi! I'm sorry I'm late. The bus broke down in the middle of the road and we had to wait until it was fixed."

"Kyoko-chan!" Another waitress waved to her from the other side of the room and a few customers mimicked her move. It would appear that the girl was quite popular here. The girl named Kyoko smiled brightly, hanging her coat on one of the hooks on the wall. Tsuna watched her for a bit. She seemed nice; maybe he could ask _her _instead.

"Your coffee."

Tsuna almost jumped out of his seat again, squeezing his eyes shut in embarrassment as he turned his head to face the waiter. Mukuro had an amused expression on his face, but Tsuna was reproachful for this, "Is it a habit of yours to creep up behind people when they're off guard?" His voice cracked in the middle of his sentence. _Oh, great, am I going through puberty again or something? _Tsuna thought wearily.

"It's a skill," Mukuro delicately placed the cup and plate in front of Tsuna, sliding it closer. "Is it my fault that you are as jumpy as a little bunny?" When Tsuna stole a glimpse at the waiter, he caught the man's shadow of a smirk. The grip on his résumé slackened a little and for a moment, he forgot what he was going to ask. Mukuro held his gaze with the brunet for a while, but when Tsuna made no move to say anything else, the waiter's smirk widened and he spoke conversationally, "Wave me in when you need me."

"All…right."

Tsuna kept his eyes on the back of Mukuro as he pulled at his scarf. His cheeks felt a little heated, but it was probably from the warmth of the scarf. He wrapped his hand around the cup, absorbing its welcoming heat and he sighed happily. The glass mug was already starting to burn his fingertips, but he wasn't too concerned right now. His mind kept wandering back to Mukuro. The man was peculiarly interesting. Tsuna watched cautiously as he conversed with the other customers, noticing how his smile always appeared to be deceitfully happy, how those different colored eyes glinted with sardonic delight, and how his voice seemed to have a faint sneer embedded in it.

It was all very unusual.

Sipping at his black coffee, he savored the flavor of the hot liquid running down his throat, momentarily disregarding the searing burn that followed it. Hurriedly placing his cup back onto the table, he hissed as he groped at his throat, "Ouch, ouch…" he whimpered. He reminded himself never to gulp down hot coffee ever again. It was _definitely _not a good idea. "Ahh, my throat…"

"Are you okay?"

Tsuna glanced up to see Kyoko peering worriedly at him. He instantly straightened up in his seat, almost knocking down his mug in the process. He quickly caught onto it and adjusted his résumés so that they were neatly stacked in a pile, "Y-yes, I'm okay." _Here's your chance! _He urged himself to ask, "Um, I was wondering if…"

"If you need water, I can get it for you," she informed him with a smile.

Tsuna waved his hands in front of him, sending her a weak smile, "Eh? No, no, I don't need water. I was actually, er, wondering if you were accepting anyone for…well, you see, I'm looking for a job. And…" he cast an unfortunate glance at his résumés, reproachful that they had not helped him at all. To his surprise, Kyoko beamed and pointed at the window. His gaze followed her finger and he read the light blue paper on the wall. In bold print, it read:

**Now Hiring!**

_How come I didn't notice that before?_ Tsuna thought bemusedly. "Who do I talk to?"

"Oh!" Kyoko's eyes widened, "He's actually in the office right now. You can speak with him if you like!"

"Ehh? Oh, um, I don't think—"

"No, really! Come along. He'll accept you for sure! You seem like a good guy…um…"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi…" he mumbled, quite aware that the girl was taking him by the wrist and half-dragging him across the café. He tried to ignore the stares he was attracting, but it was futile. Everywhere that Kyoko went, the eyes followed. Tsuna could feel himself turning beet-red.

"Can I call you Tsuna-kun?" she asked, turning her head back slightly to catch his eyes. The moment she did, however, she crashed into the chest of another person. "Kyaa! Oops!" she brushed her hair out of her eyes and saw who it was. "Mukuro-san! Gomennasai!" she bowed low in apology. Mukuro simply smiled, but it faltered when he saw who she was dragging along with her.

"Kyoko-chan, what are you doing with my victim?"

"VICTIM?" Tsuna ogled at the other waiter, demanding an explanation for being called this. Mukuro seemed unfazed as he brought a finger up to his face, trailing it down the side of his jaw and tracing his own devious smirk lightly.

"Kufufu, did I say that? Slip of the tongue, Tsunayoshi-kun; I meant _customer_."

"HIII, how do you know my name?" _Stalker! _That had been Tsuna's first thought. Mukuro shook his head, now twirling a strand of his blue hair absentmindedly as he pointedly nodded towards Tsuna's table. His résumés were fanned out all over the surface now and his coffee was now forgotten. Tsuna's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. Mukuro had read his name off his résumés. "Heey, that's being nosy."

"Think what you like, Tsunayoshi-kun, but you laid them out for me to see," said Mukuro in a light-hearted tone. He looked down at Kyoko from his tall height, "Where are you bringing him?"

"To the boss," Kyoko meekly informed, "Tsuna-kun wants a job here, so he'll have to speak with him, won't he?"

"I suppose he'll have to. I'll take him there," taking Tsuna out of Kyoko's hands, he led the boy around the café tables in order to get the crimson-painted door to the manager's office.

The door to the office swung open, and the sight of the small, familiar-looking person standing deliberately on the desk was what surprised Tsuna out of his skin. For a moment, he was just lost for words. But when he found it again, his voice squeaked when he opened his mouth, "Reborn?! What are you doing here?"

"Dame-Tsuna, why are you so loud?" the brunet received a graceless clunk on the head with the wad of documents on Reborn's desk. "I am the manager here."

Tsuna stared, gaping at him like a useless tuna, "If you were the manager here all along, why couldn't you just get me to work _here_?! You made me run all the way around the entire neighborhood to look for a job, and–-"

"That's because you have to _work _to look for a job. I can't be babying you throughout your life."

"…but '_Hell Café_'?"

"I had to make the other boss play a reluctant round of rock-paper-scissors with me, but I lost that round for the name of the café. It's not my fault," Reborn hopped off the table and landed on his small feet, "So you want to work here?"

"Yes!" Tsuna's answer was a little too quick, and he thought he could hear a stifled chuckle from behind him. He ignored it, "I want to work here, Reborn!"

"The answer was expected," stated Reborn, nodding his head slowly, "You'll take the day shift starting tomorrow. Ask the others what you have to do when taking an order, or rather, introducing yourself."

_Aha! _Tsuna thought triumphantly, _I knew there was something with the introductions. So this was all Reborn's doing! That makes a lot of sense now._

Reborn tapped his foot on the ground, "But…"

Tsuna's shoulders sagged as his heart started to sink like an elevator going way, way down, "But…?"

His home-tutor simpered, "First you must pass the test."

"HIIII?!" Tsuna let out an undignified cry, "Test?! Reborn, what test?! I thought you just hire me and that's it…"

"You can choose your task. If you can beat it, then you may work here," Reborn pointed at the building across and Tsuna gawked at it for a while. The baby continued, "If you jump off that thirty-story building and survive, I'll let you work here."

"EHHH?! REBORN! That has nothing to do with waiting tables!"

"Well, either that, or you carry a stack of heavy books, make it past Mukuro, and touch the door," Reborn let his chameleon, Leon, crawl down his arm and onto his hand, "It should be easy enough for you, unless you really _are _No-Good Tsuna."

Tsuna could feel his face burning with shame. All this while, Mukuro had been standing quietly in the background, listening to the boy and the manager bicker. Now, Tsuna actually had to prove that he was good at _something, _even if it was dodging around a tall, perverted male with a stack of books in order to get to the door. He nodded slowly, gulping, "Alright, I'll do it."

In a matter of seconds, five, two-and-a-half inch enormous dictionaries were shoved into his hands and he nearly fell down from the weight. What was _this_? How could he possibly get around Mukuro while carrying these? The other male seemed to be highly entertained with this idea. He flexed his fingers, his two rings clinking together as he did so, "This'll be fun, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"Take it easy on me?" Tsuna pleaded. He adjusted the books in his arms. Mukuro didn't say anything; he only snickered at Tsuna's struggling form. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna gingerly took a step forward. The taller, in turn, took a mocking step to the side, blocking Tsuna's escape to the door. Putting on quite an adorable pout, Tsuna grumbled under his breath, "This is _impossible._"

"Don't think like that, Tsuna," Reborn chastised him, "If you think you can do it, you can do it."

"Easy for you to say," Tsuna cried, "All _you _have to do is run under his legs and you're—oh," that sudden idea came to Tsuna, and without thinking, he darted for the space between Mukuro's legs. He probably should have thought about it more, because the man's legs suddenly closed on around his lithe waist. The books tumbled out of his arms and Tsuna flailed his arms in an attempt to pick them up.

"Pitiful, Tsunayoshi-kun. Kufufu."

Tsuna groaned, clenching his hands into fists, "This is really, really, _really _impossible, Reborn," wriggling free from Mukuro's leg-grasp, he carefully piled his books neatly once more. His arms were starting to scream in protest, but…Tsuna wanted this job desperately. Mukuro lazily raised his hand up, smirk still plastered on his face, and hooked his index finger, motioning Tsuna to come at him.

Face set, Tsuna charged at him. Hopefully, with the weight of the books on his side, he would be able to at least knock Mukuro over. Unfortunately, the plan only worked out in his head. The petite brunet was naturally surprised when he felt Mukuro's arm snaking around his middle and halting him in his tracks, preventing him from reaching his destination. The books toppled out of his arms and landed with dull thuds on the ground. The next thing he knew, Tsuna was lying on his stomach, on the ground, his arms outstretched for the door which was centimeters from his fingertips.

He swore inwardly. Why did his reach have to be so short?

"What do I do now that I've got him?" Mukuro chuckled forebodingly, his hand on the small of Tsuna's back, keeping him facedown on the ground. The brunet's mumbles were muffled from the carpeted floor.

"Baka-Tsuna, you really are no good!" Reborn reproached him. The two listened to Tsuna's barely audible protests. The baby sighed, "You can have the job."

"Ehhh?" Tsuna raised his head, but Mukuro still refused to get off him, "But I failed the test."

"So long as you tried, I think you'll be okay. Or do you not want this job?"

Tsuna didn't say anything. Reborn dipped his head, allowing his fedora to shadow his face, "You are dismissed," and with that, he dozed off into a light sleep, eyes still wide open. Tsuna didn't move – or rather, he _couldn't _move. Mukuro was still putting much of his weight on him, and he found that he could barely squirm.

"Ah…um…Mukuro-san?"

"Yes?" again, the man was making a mockery out of him.

"Can I get up?" Tsuna felt his face flushing as Mukuro's hot breath ghosted over his ear, a soft hum rippling through the other's throat,

"Aren't you comfortable there?"

"Not really, no," the brunet admitted. This caused the elder to laugh aloud, and with a slight ruffle of Tsuna's unruly brown hair, Mukuro stood up and pulled off a nice stretch. As Tsuna brushed himself off, ridding the imaginary dust tainting his pants, he gaped at Reborn. He still had so many questions to ask, but the baby was already choosing to ignore him in his own, very special way. Mukuro started to steer him out the door.

"Mm, that was fun."

"Y-yeah, for you! I didn't get the point of that at all," he complained. Tsuna was suddenly aware that Mukuro's hands were on his shoulders and he awkwardly shrugged them off. The older man dropped his arms to his sides, smirking, as he stopped behind the now-closed door. Tsuna paused as well, waiting for him to say something.

"Kufufu, it's too bad we're not together."

The brunet blinked his brown eyes, "Ehh? What do you mean?"

Mukuro tapped Tsuna on the nose playfully, causing the younger to flinch back. The mismatched-eyed man was starting to amuse himself by joking around with this brunet, "You're on the day shift whereas I'm not."

"But you're—" Tsuna stopped himself on time, realizing that the only reason Mukuro was doing the day shift was because one of his coworkers was sick. For some reason, he felt his heart sink. He thought it would be a little fun to get to know Mukuro a little bit, even if the older proved himself to be quite a bit of a creep. Mukuro sensed this sudden change of attitude and his smirk widened dangerously,

"You're not disappointed, are you, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

"HIII?!" Tsuna stepped backwards, not liking the fact that Mukuro had just read through his mind. He avoided the man's penetrating gaze, slowly backtracking in his steps all the while trying to deny he was thinking that at all, "N-no! Of course not. You've got your night shift and I've got mine. Guess we won't be seeing each other often, ha…ha…" Tsuna ended it off in a nervous laugh.

The long-haired male continued to intently keep his watch on Tsuna, causing the latter to feel even more uncomfortable. _Why does he have to _stare_? _Tsuna thought miserably.

"Kufufu, you wouldn't last the night shift anyway," Mukuro started to walk away, giving Tsuna a slight wave of his hand. Inwardly, the brunet agreed; he was still a little scared of the dark. Even now, when he was older and more experienced, it made slight differences to his fears. But he couldn't help but feel a little affronted when he heard those words coming from a guy that hardly knew him.

"What makes you think that…Mukuro-san?" he added for good measure. Tsuna could almost hear the scorn embedded Mukuro's velvety, smooth voice.

"Believe me, Tsunayoshi-kun; things get too _wild _at night for someone like you to waltz in there with those innocent eyes. Perversion is contagious here. Just be careful, hm? Kufufu~" he traipsed off without a second glance back.

Tsuna had no idea what he meant by that.

* * *

**Hero would like you to know: **I LIKE MY COFFEE BLACK JUST LIKE MY METAL~! LUL, sorry, I had to get it out. LOL, do you notice how I kinda wanted Kyoko to do something useful, but then I got lazy and got Mukuro to bring him in? Baww, fail. I don't like her that much, D: but I won't do any hating.

Hope you enjoyed the prologue type thing. I feel like I'm totally gonna BS my way through this. Long prologue was long, but hopefully informative/interesting. If there's anything I need to change, you go right over there, click the review button underneath, and tell me what I need to correct, scum--ahem. Uh, sweet...ie? Right, kay, leaving now. O////O Bye-bii~


	2. Numbered Tables

**Summary:** A bored drawl was evident in the waiter's deep voice as he handed Tsuna a menu, "My name is Rokudo Mukuro, and, no, my good looks are not an illusion. Now, what would you like to have?" AU!6927

**Warnings:** Author changed name (coughRoricough). Otherwise, sleepy (perverted) Muku is sleepy (and perverted), bad customers, ticklish tunas, pancakes with pineapple on the side (LOL?), 14-year-old Lambo, hawt hosts, a long-ass chapter'd title, and boylove.

**AN: **INSERT SOMETHING IMPORTANT HERE NYA. No, I'm joking. "Of crouse." Disregard that and read the chapter. Enjoy~ :3

* * *

**Hell Café****  
**_It's a world of its own – Mukuro R. & Tsuna S._

_**Chapter two  
**_Numbered Tables_**  
**__there's a good reason why these tables are numbered, honey, you just haven't thought of it yet._

"So we have to say something interesting about ourselves every time we ask someone for their order?" It was the first day of work for Tsuna, and he already found himself dozing off. He had woken up way to early this morning and he was now dressed sharply in his waiter attire. Compliments of '_Aww, you look adorable, Tsu-kun!_' and _'That looks good on you!' _echoed inside his head; he had blushed every time another person came to welcome him to Hell Café. The person who was teaching him at the moment was Yamamoto; the man had recovered from his fall the day before.

"Before you give them the menu," Yamamoto corrected with a grin on his face. This was the only guy Tsuna knew that _always _had a smile on his face, no matter what happened. Then again, he had only known this man for maybe less than twenty-four hours. "I'll help you out until you get the hang of it. Dino will, too."

"I don't know what I'm going to say," Tsuna protested weakly. The taller man patted him on the back reassuringly.

"Mahh, don't worry, Tsuna," he replied, smiling away, "You'll get used to this. Say the first thing that's on your mind if that helps."

"Yeah," Tsuna groaned, resting his forehead on the surface of the counter, "Except the only problem is that the first thing that's going to be on my mind while I'm waiting tables is '_uhh_'."

"That's attractive," Yamamoto laughed. "Here, for example, I always relate my information to baseball or sushi. If you like sushi, then you go to your customer and say: Hello, my name is Sawada Tsunayoshi and I will be your waiter today. I enjoy taking long walks around the beach while eating sushi with my lover."

Tsuna had nodded at the statement about the long walks, but when he heard the second part, his eyes widened instantaneously, "EH? I don't have a lover, Yamamoto-san! And at the same time? Eating sushi _while _walking on the beach?"

"Aha, I just said it was an _example_! You can say anything. It could be something embarrassing about you or just a simple memory on the top of your head."

"I don't get the point in this. But then again…it's _Reborn_," Tsuna sighed, completely defeated.

"Yep," the taller man beamed, amused by how defensive Tsuna had gotten earlier. Just as he was about to utter something else, a platinum blond leapt up behind Yamamoto and slung a friendly arm around his shoulder. The man had bandages wrapped firmly around his muscled arms, and Tsuna couldn't help but to wonder how he had gotten those in the first place. Not from waiting tables, he hoped.

"You must think of an _EXTREME _introduction!" the man raucously yelled, nearly bursting Tsuna's eardrums. The small brunet winced, resisting the urge to cover his ears. Yamamoto didn't move; it would've appeared that he had gotten used to this.

"This is Ryohei, another waiter that works here," Yamamoto explained. "He's Kyoko-chan's brother. I'm sure you've already met her. You'll meet the others later. The mornings are slow, so we won't be getting customers until well into eight o' clock," he stole a quick glimpse at the round white clock above them on the wall. It was seven thirty. Tsuna fixed the collar of his uniform, silently hoping that the rest of the day would go slow. He didn't want his first day to be a rush and he would end up having a billion customers to wait.

"So who else works here?"

Yamamoto parted his lips to say something, but he was interrupted by hushed, not-so-quiet whispers.

"You talk to him if you want to say hi!"

"Hahi? No! _You _go!"

"I've _already _met him."

The three boys whirled around to see Kyoko and another female standing there whispering to each other. Ryohei's sister's eyes instantly widened at the attention they were attracting, but she smiled brightly at Tsuna and company. The girl that was with her had her dark hair pinned up in a loose ponytail; several strands escaped the hair clips they were supposed to be in. She placed her hand on her hips confidently.

"Fine. Haru will go say hi."

The girl, whom Tsuna assumed was named Haru, stepped up, her hands holding down the skirt of her uniform, "Hi, welcome to Hell Café. My name is Haru Miura and…and…and…" it would appear that she was trying to think of a good introduction out of habit. Tsuna let loose a feeble grin, shaking his head.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," he tilted his head to the side slightly in acknowledgment, "Nice to meet you, Haru-chan." He took another glance at Kyoko, but the girl had left the vicinity. Before either of them could converse further, he sniffed. "Is something burning?"

"Hahi!" Haru rushed towards the kitchen doors, "Bianchi-chan! Reborn said _not_ to experiment in the kitchen!"

"EH?!" Did he just hear right? He was pretty sure he did. Tsuna knew Bianchi well – maybe a little _too _well for his liking. Gokudera was always complaining about his sister and her 'experiments' with food. Every time he was at his best friend's house, he made sure not to consume anything that was made by _that_ girl. "Bianchi works here?! As the cook?!"

"Ah, you know her?" Yamamoto beamed, "She's not too bad, once she gets past the experimenting and to the actual cooking. Reborn makes sure that she sticks to that, and she won't disobey him, anyway." Tsuna could already feel his stomach growling in protest from yesterday's food. He was almost certain that there was nothing wrong with it, but he couldn't help but feel a little queasy.

"Right…" His eyes travelled to the stairs leading up and down. The brunet's eyebrow rose inquisitively, "What's down there?"

"The bar," this time, someone else other than Yamamoto and Ryohei spoke. Tsuna turned around to see Dino wearing his uniform and a wide grin. The man's unruly blond hair was under a grey beanie, and as he slid it off, he slapped his hand down on Tsuna's shoulder, almost causing the brunet to fall forward, "Welcome to the family, Tsuna," pointing at the stairs, he said, "The bar's for the nightshift workers. Other people work there, not us, so you don't have to worry about it. Unless you're planning to go after hours," the Italian added.

"Not a chance," Tsuna laughed, pushing the thoughts of Mukuro out of his head. So _that's _what the mismatched-eyed man meant when he said something about the nightshift. Of course, in a bar, things were bound to get wild. Tsuna could already imagine the outcome if he were to go down at night. But out of curiosity, he asked, "What's it like?"

"Scary."

Tsuna jumped almost a meter high as another new, yet soft, voice entered the atmosphere. If people kept popping out of nowhere like this, he was going to end up having a heart attack. The boy that had spoken up was young, probably only fourteen years old, but he was dressed in the same attire as the other waiters. Tsuna had the impression that he was working here as well. He had one eye closed, and a nest of soft, curly black hair rested on top of his head. He glanced at Tsuna, then at the waiters, rubbing his head, "Sorry I'm late."

"No problem, Lambo-san. Did you see Chrome on your way here?"

"I heard she's still sick," Lambo lazily replied, "Reborn said something about it, but he's not getting a replacement for her. I'm guessing today won't be as busy as yesterday."

"Yes, well, today _is _Monday."

"W-wait, what do you mean 'it's scary'?" Tsuna stammered, interrupting their little conversation, "And aren't you a little too young to be working here?"

"Lambo-san knows Reborn, and since Lambo's short on money, naturally, Reborn gave the job to him," Haru piped up from the kitchen; she had been eavesdropping. "We get along with him, anyway!"

"You mean he gave the job to him _after_ a little persuading," Dino grinned tiredly.

Lambo shrugged, one of his eyes still remotely closed. He acted a lot more mature than what others at his age would act like, "Yes, well…" he returned his attention back to Tsuna. "It's creepy. The people who _work _there are insane and their uniforms are intimidating."

"They wear whatever they want to wear, so of course, some of them will have a, er, somewhat eccentric style. I think you need to man up, Lambo. They're not so bad after you get to know them a little," Dino jokingly said as threw his beanie over the counter and onto the ground, not knowing that someone could easily walk over and slip on it. Or rather, not knowing that _he _himself could saunter over and crack his head again after slipping on it.

"Is that only because you have a little crush on one of them?" asked Lambo, leaning back against the counter. Dino's cheeks tinted a slight shade of pink as he whirled around, knocking over a salt shaker in the process. As he hurriedly picked it up, he laughed anxiously.

"You're funny, Lambo."

Tsuna glanced at Yamamoto for _his _input, but the man shrugged, "Mahh, I've never been down there before," his expression brightened, "But, hey, after our shift, do you want to go down? I have to go home and help my dad out with some stuff at home, but maybe we can go at nine?"

"Sounds good," Dino grinned, "I'm free tonight."

"Count me out," Lambo mumbled just as the first customer of the day walked in, signaled by the chime above the doors, "I'm not going back there even if my life depended on it." He turned around and left promptly afterwards. To their surprise, none of the girls said anything about going. Tsuna had a feeling that Ryohei wouldn't want Kyoko to go to a bar anyway. Especially if Lambo said it was scary and if Mukuro was _one of those people _who worked there. It was then that he realized all eyes were fixed on him for _his _answer.

"Will you come too, Tsuna?"

"HIIIII?!" Tsuna covered his mouth as soon as the customers shot him a wary look, "Won't it be expensive?"

"Mmm, no, not here. It's probably why it's so popular, though," said Dino. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "But the guys are pretty good-looking as well." This prompted stifled giggles from the kitchen. Tsuna continued to protest.

"B-but me? I-I don't think I should…"

"Come on, it'll be fun," Yamamoto insisted.

"I-I—" Tsuna was saved from answering as another customer walked in, followed by a couple of others who were probably just trying to escape from the cold and were drawn in by the warmth of the café, like Tsuna had been yesterday. However, he was patted on the back by Yamamoto, who said:

"I'll drive by your place and pick you up tonight."

"A-ah! Wait!" Overwhelmed, he watched as the taller male swiftly strode over to their table and said in a cheerful voice.

"Hi, I will be your waiter for today. My name is Yamamoto Takeshi and I've been banned from pitching cages all around Japan and Italy. You know those things that you throw a ball at the wall and it measures how hard you hit? Yeah, those..." As the couple ogled at him in amazement, the man handed them a menu, "I'll give you a few minutes to see what you would like. Wave me over you when you're ready," and with that, Yamamoto walked back to Tsuna, an encouraging grin on his face, "See? Easy. We separate who we wait by the table numbers." The man pointed at the left corner with a bunch of small tables, "One to four is for me, five to seven is for Lambo; Haru and Kyoko take turns for eight to twelve. Dino takes the tables from thirteen to fifteen, so I guess you'll be getting sixteen to nineteen." Yamamoto let out a deep sigh, "The other tables are hardly used unless it's a busy day. Good luck, Tsuna!"

"Uhm…"

The brunet didn't even get to ask any questions before Yamamoto bustled over to table number three. Tsuna's shoulders sagged as he sighed wearily; table sixteen and nineteen weren't even being used at the moment. He rested his back against the counter, sometimes tentatively turning his head to see if Bianchi was cooking up something dangerous. But if Reborn was okay with it, he supposed he could be too.

He didn't notice when a figure stumbled up the stairs of the café; his eyes were busy watching Dino, making sure that the blond didn't trip over air again. A small smile broke on Tsuna's lips when he heard the blond say that he 'was so uncoordinated that he never played catch anymore because he's broken more window panes than the amount of years he's been living'. He felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

"Eh?" he saw Kyoko's smiling expression; it was almost contagious. It made him want to smile too.

"You've got a customer, Tsuna-kun," she pointed at a man sitting at table sixteen. Tsuna jumped up nervously, one hand clasping at a menu as his other patted down on his pocket, making sure his notebook and pen were there. Kyoko sent him a friendly smile, "You'll be fine. Don't worry."

"I'll try," he murmured, taking slow strides towards the man. There was something familiar about this man; his navy hair was unkemptly tied in a slack ponytail, and there were strands that were sticking up from the back. Tsuna had the notion that he had _just _woke up. The customer's head was buried in his arms. Tsuna didn't know whether or not he should say anything, but something inside him made him squeak a cough, "H-Hello. My name – I mean, I'll be your waiter for today. My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi and – HIIII!"

Tsuna dropped the menu just as the man raised his head. All he saw were those stoic, mismatched eyes and that was all he needed to know. What was Mukuro doing here?! When had he walked in? Tsuna couldn't remember. He bent down and snatched up the menu, eyes impossibly wide, "M-Mukuro-san, what…?" he cleared his throat and tried to speak with more dignity, "Here for breakfast?"

Mukuro's lips started to slide into a smirk, "Yes. Kufufu, what a coincidence, Tsunayoshi-kun. Yesterday, I waited your table. Today, you wait mine."

"When did you walk in? I didn't hear the bells," Tsuna frowned, suspicious. The navy-haired man looked slightly entertained, leaning on the palm of his hand.

"I _didn't _walk in," he said derisively, but he didn't mention anything else. Tsuna decided to drop it. Mukuro looked completely exhausted, and Tsuna couldn't blame him. Considering the information given to him yesterday, Mukuro had pulled off two all-nighters.

"Are you going back to sleep after this?"

"Yes," Mukuro stifled a quiet yawn with the back of his hand. When he didn't say anything else again, Tsuna blew a wisp of breath out of the corner of his mouth. He placed the menu on the table, recalling the words that Yamamoto spoke before reciting.

"I'll give you a few minutes to see what you want. Wave me over when you're ready," he started to turn away.

"Kufufu, wait." Tsuna's eyes widened as he felt a soft yank on the waistband of the back of his pants; Mukuro had slid a finger in and pulled once. The brunet was even more astounded when an arm snaked around his small waist and gently tugged him back, closer to Mukuro. The man was smiling. Though he was worn out, it didn't stop the perverted look from glinting in his eyes, "Aren't you forgetting something, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

"…No?" Tsuna mulled over his thoughts, but it was hard when Mukuro was acting like a creep—he stopped his thoughts there. Mukuro was just being overly-friendly, he told himself. "Yes? Maybe?"

"I'll remind you," Mukuro's arm didn't budge from around Tsuna's waist, "You were about to tell me something about yourself."

"O-oh," Tsuna had forgotten. Then again, it was hard to think when those piercing eyes were staring at him. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to notice the squeamish feeling that the arm around him was giving him. Again, there was a sneer hidden in Mukuro's composed and faintly drowsy voice.

"Tell me something _interesting _about _you_."

Tsuna gulped, not liking the man's husky tone much. He desperately tried to think of something about himself worthy of telling so that he could just _leave. _"Uh, I'm…Sawada Tsunayoshi and I'm…I'm ticklish."

"Kufufu, really now?" a mischievous smirk flitted across Mukuro's pale face, and now Tsuna was thinking that maybe he _shouldn't _have given that information out. He could faintly feel the back of his dress-shirt being pushed up and cold fingers brushing coyly against his spine. He squirmed, wriggling out of Mukuro's grasp; this only caused the man to chuckle slyly under his breath. "You really _are _intriguing, Tsunayoshi-kun. I'll have the usual. Just tell them that; they'll know."

_What a pervert, _Tsuna thought unhappily as he nodded before walking back to where he had been standing before. He scribbled onto his notebook paper: _the usual for Mukuro _and smacked it onto the counter for Bianchi to take. The cook gave him a questioning look before taking the slip and returning into the kitchen. Tsuna sighed. _He just _had _to be my first customer, didn't he?_

"Tsuna!" Dino waved at him to come over, and Tsuna wasted no time in scurrying to where the blond was, "Can you take care of table fifteen for me? I'm busy with this, uh, lot." He jerked his head towards the table with a woman and her two children, who were currently throwing food at each other. Tsuna nodded hastily, and Dino's face broke into a grin, "Thanks!"

The moment Tsuna turned to see who was at table fifteen, he wished he hadn't taken the offer. There were two people sitting there, both male, and both very…frightening was one way to put it. Multiple piercings mutilated their bodies while tattoos covered every possible place on their arms, and their hair was gelled up in a punkish manner. Swallowing hard, he crossed over to the table and caught the looks on their faces; they were obviously up to no good.

"Hello, my name is Sawada Tsunayoshi and I'll be waiting you today," his voice started to tremble, and the teenagers at the table started to smirk wickedly, "I—"

"Still sleep with your mommy?" one of the teenagers jeered. Tsuna's face reddened.

"N-no, I was about to say—"

"Yeah, yeah, we don't care," the two snatched the menus from Tsuna's arms and shunned him as they silently read. Tsuna made a face, somewhat thankful that he didn't have to display personal information to _these _two. He'll just take their order, serve them, and then they'll leave and, hopefully, never come back. The minute he had walked back to the counter, the two delinquents had waved him over again, grins on their faces. Tsuna shook his head, striding over.

"Are you ready to order?"

"Uhhh, yes," one of the boys mockingly dragged his words as he spoke, "I'll have this, and this, and this." He pointed at the words on the menu quickly – so fast that Tsuna barely had time to see. He was about to ask if he could repeat it, but the other male had started to speak as well, repeating the other's words. Tsuna blinked rapidly as they tossed the menus back into his arms, "Better hurry, Tuna-yoshi or whatever your name was. We're in a hurry."

"Yessir," Tsuna dazedly stepped backwards, trying to recall their orders. He remembered what they had ordered, but he was slightly ticked off that they pointed, and not said. He wrote down their orders on his notebook before handing it to Bianchi. She flipped her pink hair over her shoulder before notifying Tsuna:

"Tell Mukuro that his order might be a bit late. We ran out of pineapples yesterday and I-Pin's just gone out to get some more. He won't mind, I'm sure."

True enough, the man didn't care. Tsuna relayed the message to him and Mukuro just shrugged, placing his head into his arms again and sliding his eyes shut. Tsuna wanted to ask if he was alright, and that maybe he should just go back home and get some rest, but then he saw Mukuro's still body and decided not to disrupt him. After a while, he heard Haru behind him.

"Hahi, Tsuna-kun! Order for table fifteen is done!"

"Ah, right," Tsuna rushed over and grabbed the two trays, balancing them on his forearms. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't hard to do. If Dino could get across the room without tripping over his own feet, then he could do it as well. Without a word to either teenagers, he placed their orders on the table. Their mouths had opened even before he set the plates and drinks down in front of them.

"EWW, what the shit is this?"

"Yeah, man, we didn't order this. _Dio__mio__,_ idiot, can't you get it right?"

"Eh? But—" Tsuna could feel his cheeks heating up; he was attracting so much attention. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Dino had stopped what he was doing to see what the matter was. Yamamoto was on the other side of the room with Lambo, and the three girls were watching from the kitchen with widened eyes. Tsuna wanted to melt into the floor and just _disappear. _He could've _sworn _that he had gotten them right, and from the looks that the customers were giving him, they knew that he had gotten it right too. Still, he couldn't reprimand or deny them in front of everyone. The brunet chose to remain silent. "I'm sorry. I'll get you another—"

Tsuna froze as one of the teenager's cold iced tea drinks dripped all over his hair and onto the once-clean floor. _How nice, _Tsuna thought as the teenager loomed over him with his tall height. The brunet squeaked in terror, and the punks looked satisfied, "We don't want you to get another order for us. You're pathetic."

He was older than them, but he was being told off by a bunch of teenagers. With his pride hurt and humiliated, Tsuna bowed his head, "S-sorry…"

"Mahh, mahh, it was just a mistake. See, he's sorry," Yamamoto had rushed over to Tsuna's rescue. The other teenager stood up as well, and the waiter stopped in his tracks, his smile wiped off his face.

"Maybe he needs another tea bath to learn his lesson," the punk smirked, grabbing the cup off the table. Tsuna closed his eyes, raising his hands above his head and cowering under the other's shadow. He waited for the coldness of the drink to sweep over him, but it never came. Tentatively, he peeked through one eye and saw that the teen's wrist was being held from behind. The brunet peered around him and saw –

"Oya, why are you being so loud in the morning?"

Mukuro's lithe fingers were wrapped around the teen's wrist, preventing him from further action. Scowling, the boy yanked his wrist away and faced the other man with a burning defiance, "This is none of your business." Something flickered across the boy's face, as if he had just thought of a brilliant idea. Tsuna caught the scheme as soon as the drink started to move towards Mukuro. The brunet's mouth parted in a wide 'o' shape to warn Mukuro, but the navy-haired man grasped _that _wrist, flipped the knife that was lying on the table up and held the blade against the boy's throat. The audience gasped.

"Mukuro-san…!" Tsuna watched the blade glimmer from the outside sunlight.

Mukuro's eyes had been narrowed stanchly, but when he heard Tsuna's voice, he turned to him and flashed him a knowing smirk. He turned to the teen with the same eerie smile, "I'm just playing with them, kufufu." He twirled the knife around until the butt of it was facing the teen. "Just a little joke, Tsunayoshi-kun. No need to be scared."

"I wasn't," the brunet mumbled. He was still well aware that his hair was dripping wet from the Iced Tea. He faintly heard and saw Dino dragging the two out the door by the shoulders.

"Alright, good-bye now. Don't come back!" he called out cheerfully, ignoring their disgruntled insults. As soon as that ordeal was over, everyone in the café returned to their food. Tsuna watched as Mukuro dragged his feet over to the stairs and quickly ran over to him.

"Aren't you going to eat, Mukuro-san?"

"I'm too tired," Mukuro rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, stifling yet another yawn. "Arrivederci, Tsunayoshi-kun." He started up the stairs, but before he could get onto the second step, Tsuna involuntarily grasped onto the back of his black shirt. Mukuro tilted his head to the side, the corner of his crimson eye catching the brunet in its gaze, "Yes?"

For a moment, the younger didn't say anything. Then came a small, quiet 'thank-you'. Mukuro smirked captivatingly, causing Tsuna's breath to hitch in his throat. The man then promptly turned around and headed up the stairs. Bewildered, Tsuna caught onto Yamamoto's arm as the man walked by, "Why did he go upstairs?"

"He sleeps here," Yamamoto stated simply, "Second floor has the rooms. It's usually for those who work late and don't have the energy to go home," he scanned Tsuna's attire with his brown eyes, taking in the wet chestnut hair, "You should wash your hair. That stuff can get sticky."

"Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks."

"Tsuna-kun! Order up!" Haru called out, placing a plate with two pancakes on the counter for him to take. Around the plate, there were thin slices of pineapples and strawberries. Tsuna supposed that this was Mukuro's order. Before he could tell the girls that the man had already gone up to sleep, they had retreated back into the kitchen. Sighing in defeat, Tsuna took the plate and held it in front of him. It was too delicious-looking to throw out. He glanced up the stairs, thinking.

Well, he'd just leave it in the room. There was no harm in _that_.

He took slow, deliberate steps up the stairs, hoping that no one would question his disappearance. He was still _technically _serving someone, just not at a table. There was only one door that was slightly open, and that was the one at the very end. The brown paint was faded, and the room number, oddly enough, was six, but there was a handwritten nine right beside it. Sixty-nine.

He pushed the door open as quietly as he could, but the door emitted a low groan, causing Tsuna to freeze momentarily. Mukuro was lying on his side, fast asleep; he had collapsed onto the bed without changing or covering himself up with a blanket. His dark blue hair was splayed over the fluffy white pillow, and his entire frame was moving up and down as the male breathed lightly. Tsuna smiled, walking over and placing the plate on the side-table. Mukuro almost looked peaceful when he was resting, not like his usual scheming self. However, Tsuna had to notice that there was a slight, upturned smirk as he slept.

Then he knew why.

"Tsunayoshi-kun, do you enjoy staring at me?"

"HIIIII!" Tsuna leapt back and fell onto his bottom, completely bewildered. He managed to pick himself up before the man could let loose another chuckle. "How long were you awake?"

"Kufufu, since you came in." Mukuro cracked one dark azure eye open to stare at the shorter male, "You should really knock next time. What if I wasn't wearing anything?"

Tsuna was _not _having any mental images of any sorts. "Nn…" the brunet tried to think of an excuse, but found that he was incapable of finding one. He pointed at Mukuro's breakfast, "I just brought that up for you. Don't think anything more of it! I'm leaving!" Spinning on his heel and ignoring the flush that was taking over his face, he dragged his feet out the door, disregarding the soft 'kufufu' that followed him out.

Tsuna quickly opted to find a sink as soon as he could so he could wash the stickiness out of his hair.

* * *

True to his word, Yamamoto had rung his doorbell at exactly eight thirty. Tsuna had been expecting this, but he didn't know what he could possibly wear to a bar. Simply sliding on a plain t-shirt and a hoodie over it, he shook on a pair of jeans before answering the door. Yamamoto was wearing a black jacket over a plain dress-shirt, and his dark pants camouflaged into the night. His whitened teeth glistened as he beamed.

"Tsuna, you ready?"

It took them a grand total of just ten minutes to drive there. Tsuna's eyes widened at the amount of people filing in. So maybe the bar at _Caffè di inferno _was a little bit more famous than the Hell Café in the morning. Tsuna stepped out of the car and stared at the neon sign that read: _Open._ He hastily followed Yamamoto's footsteps and walked in, feeling slightly self-conscious about his clothes. Maybe he should have dressed up a little more, but it was too late now.

Dino was already inside, and the blond Italian waved them over. "Paid for you, little bro," Dino beamed, and Tsuna wondered when on earth did he start calling him 'little bro'. "It's your first time, so I might as well."

"I'll pay for myself," said Yamamoto as he flipped out his wallet. Tsuna proceeded to thank Dino, baffled, but the blond just shook his head, grinning from ear to ear.

"When you get your paycheck, you can come in anytime. For now, I'll pay for you. Whenever you want to leave, I'll drive you home, or Yamamoto will."

Tsuna was about to say that he was _definitely _going to not chicken out and that he was going to stay all the way, but he decided to keep that in. He might change his mind later. Before the three of them even started heading downstairs, they could already hear the loud music blaring from the enormous speakers. It was nearly pitch-black, except for the dim lights hanging on the walls around them. Couches and soft sofas were luxuriously placed around the basement of the café, which gave it a vaguely warmer feel. There was a dance floor near one of the corners, but Tsuna noticed that there were only girls there, and no hosts. He stepped down, adjusting his eyes to the darkness. Lambo was right; this place _was _a little intimidating. He turned around to converse with his friends, but they had walked off to who-knows-where. Tsuna whirled around on the spot, heart beating out of control.

Someone bumped into him, and he nearly fell onto his face, unbalanced. He didn't hear an apology, but he wasn't expecting one either. He wouldn't have heard over the earsplitting music anyway. He swept his eyes around the room once more for a familiar face. At the left corner of the room, a slender blond host was sprawled over the couch languorously, his red and ebony-black striped shirt contrasting flatteringly against the crimson couch. His arms were rested on the shoulders of the girls beside him, and the grin he wore was evidently because he was pleased with himself, though Tsuna couldn't see his eyes; they were covered by unruly, golden bangs.

By the actual bar, there was a man, probably a few years older than Tsuna. His blond hair was slicked back, and the shirt he wore displayed his chiseled body. He was leaning against the counter, a lazy smirk playing on his lips. Tsuna squinted to see the name pinned to the man's chest: Gamma. The short brunet could spot others around the vicinity, but…Mukuro was not amongst them. Perhaps the man was so worn out that he couldn't come to work?

"Oi, idiot frog!"

A few of the girls on the couch giggled as Tsuna's attention was brought back to the first blond. His grin was now flipped upside down as the man pointedly stared at another host, one that was a few meters away. Said male quickly jumped behind one of the columns, touching his light green hair self-consciously. Tsuna was pretty sure that his real name was not 'idiot frog'. "Yes, Bel-senpai?"

"Where's your hat?" Bel asked tersely. As he moved his head, Tsuna noticed that there was a small crown resting in that nest of wild, fair hair that seemed to be controllably untamed.

"Eh," the shorter male tapped his finger onto his chin, as if trying to remember. After what seemed like a minute, the man smiled blatantly. "I forgot it at home."

"Ushishishi, what kind of excuse is that?" After emitting an eerie laugh, Bel made a move to get up from the couch, but the other had already begun to dart away.

"Please don't kill me, senpai. I've only forgotten it once."

Silently watching this whole ordeal, Tsuna had a feeling that _this _was what Lambo meant by what he had said this morning. A few of the hosts were dressed peculiarly, but so far, none of them were _really _unusual. It was almost as if they were made to dress a little differently for the nightshift.

It was then that he felt an arm sliding across his shoulders, and the next thing he knew, he crashed into another person's hard chest. He let out a cry of alarm, but was hushed by a finger to his lips. He saw a glimmer coming from his side, and his big eyes widened considerably when he saw the tip of a trident beside him. It wasn't real. It was a toy, he could tell, but that didn't stop his jaw from dropping in horror.

"Wh-what…"

He never finished his sentence. The panicky butterflies in his stomach started to flutter around frenziedly as an all-too-familiar, sardonically charming voice ghosted over his ear and sent shivers running up and down his spine.

"Kufufu, welcome to the nightshift, Tsunayoshi-kun."

* * *

**Self-Proclaimed:** Thanks to Aya-chan~ for finding my uber fail mistake in the last chapter. Stupid typos. Thank you everyone for the reviews O: I wasn't expecting to get that many. o O; You make meh happy. I wonder what will happen in the next chapter. D: Cause really, I don't even know myself. xD Wewt. Time to start brainstormingg. Ahahaha! I just added random hosts in there. Psdhakjd. Bel and Fran were obviously gonna be there, but Gamma was like a spur of the moment kind of thing. A few people know whyy~ Anyway! _Reviews_ would be lovely again. :3 Hope you enjoyed the second chapterrr.

*ADVERTISEMENT* P.S: In the meantime, entertain yourself by reading a collaboration by Roriette and Androgynous? :D It's called Valentine Crisis and it can be found on my profile ~ So cracktastic. :3 Check it out if you're interested~ :3 It's for FEB 14~


	3. Five Minutes to Midnight

**Summary:** A bored drawl was evident in the waiter's deep voice as he handed Tsuna a menu, "My name is Rokudo Mukuro, and, no, my good looks are not an illusion. Now, what would you like to have?" AU!6927

**Warnings:** Troublemaking princes, perverted pineapples are always a given, sexy games, a dancing Fran (as per request), GAMMA ('nuff said), and Xanxus. -drool- Apparently, I have to warn you about the (not really) 'overload of hotness' that 'should be illegal' in this chapter. :3

**AN: **Song lyrics do not belong to me, neither does KHR characters. D:

* * *

Hell Café**  
**_It's a world of its own – Mukuro R. & Tsuna S._

_**Chapter three  
**_Five minutes to midnight_**  
**__we'll make the clock stop, make your heart drop, and come alive. When the clock strikes twelve, will you find another boy to kiss and tell?_

* * *

"Kufufu, welcome to the nightshift, _Tsunayoshi-kun_."

"Hiii?!" Tsuna's thoughts were a whirlwind of mess as he gazed into those unforgettable, mismatched eyes, which were hinting a glimmer of amusement. He didn't know what he was expecting; he should have known that Mukuro was going to spring up out of nowhere any second. He was still _very _aware that Mukuro's arm was around his waist, and there was a faint scent of _Acqua__ di __Gio _cologne on the man. Once Tsuna's head stopped spinning, his eyes scrolled down to the other male's black attire; he noticed just how slender Mukuro was, and he glanced away. He weakly attempted to pull out of the vice grasp, but to no avail. Mukuro's hand slid dangerously close to his rear end, coaxing an unbecoming squeak from the brunet.

"Are you lost?" Mukuro smiled calmly, if not creepily.

"Eh?! No, no, I'm not."

"I see," there was that eerie smirk again; it was like the man was just _waiting _for opportunities like this to tease the shorter adult, "I'm _flattered_, Tsunayoshi-kun. I had no idea you couldn't keep away from me."

"Hiii?! Th-that's not it either, Mukuro-san!"

The two were interrupted by a shout from behind, and Mukuro's grip on Tsuna's waist slackened, "We almost lost you there, little bro!" Suddenly, Dino was behind him and Yamamoto was close behind. Tsuna couldn't help but feel a little relieved to see his two friends there. Mukuro, on the other hand, seemed a bit miffed, though he was very good at hiding it. Dino's chocolate brown eyes flickered in recognition, "Hey, Mukuro! I didn't notice you there."

"Likewise," Mukuro replied cynically. The blond Italian just grinned, taking a good glance around the nightclub bar.

"Looks like a good turnout. You're gonna be busy the whole night, I bet, a popular guy like you."

The navy-haired man flashed the three a small smirk before propping his trident against the wall. When he removed his hand from Tsuna's waist, the latter felt the warmth leaving him and suddenly, oddly enough, he wanted Mukuro near him again. The very thought scared him and he leapt back in shock, shaking his head to drive the idea out. Mukuro didn't notice him; instead, he was peering around as if trying to find someone.

"Where did you go?" Tsuna asked, turning back to Dino and Yamamoto. The black-haired male shrugged, beaming in the dark. Dino, however, scratched the back of his head as he grinned goofily.

"I was trying to find someone. Seems like he's hiding again, though."

"Ah, _him_," Yamamoto laughed, not unkindly. Just when Tsuna was about to ask who 'this guy' was, Mukuro turned back to face them. It was surprisingly that they could still hear his mellow voice through the ear-piercing music.

"Enjoy yourself, hm, Tsu-na-yo-shi-kun?" he pronounced each syllable casually.

"You're not going to stay with us, Mukuro-san?" the words left Tsuna's mouth before he could stop himself. He clapped a hand to his mouth, realizing how disappointed he must have sounded when, obviously, that was not his intention at _all. _Mukuro raised an eyebrow, and Tsuna wished nothing more than to disappear into the darkness where no one could find him. The taller simply started to walk away, his footsteps vaguely directed towards the couches where Bel sat.

"I've got to work. However, Tsunayoshi-kun can join me here if he likes," the corners of Mukuro's lips curled in a charming way, and Tsuna could already feel his cheeks burning at the invitation. Half of his mind wanted to tug the approval 'okay' out of his mouth, but another side, the one that was clearly afraid of this man, pulled him back. In the end, he just stood there stupidly, gaping idly at the host. Mukuro didn't seem to mind the staring. When Tsuna didn't say anything afterwards, Mukuro plodded off and sat down.

"VOOOOOOI, GET TO WORK, YOU LAZY NITWITS! Fran, why are you hiding behind that girl?" A man with a mane of luscious silver hair glared at the green-haired male from earlier, the one that Bel had been chastising. Said male jumped from behind one of his customers, consciously touching the top of his head. The girl didn't seem to mind how a cute host had to hide behind her back in order to avoid the dangerous glares of a certain eyes-covered blond and how the silver-haired man had to now try to pry Fran off her. The male protested while being dragged away.

"I _was _talking to her, Shark-senpai, before you pulled me away."

"VOOOOOI! It's _Squalo_, you brat! And don't give me that bullshit. Get to work or I'll get the boss to fire you," he literally tossed the smaller male towards the couches and Fran landed with a soft thump on a vacant sofa with a small, mumbled 'ow'. The girls giggled again but Fran managed to pull himself up into a sitting position, edging as far away as he could from the other blond. He stuck himself between an extrovertly dolled-up girl and Mukuro, not feeling the least bit awkward. At least, he didn't look it.

The silver-haired man rapidly turned around to face Tsuna's group, causing the latter to squeak in terror. Those silver eyes were intimidating, and when Squalo took a step forward, Tsuna stepped back some and bumped into Dino, who hurriedly held onto him before he could fall down. Luckily, there was a wall behind Dino so there was no way that clumsy Italian could topple over as well. "What are you doing here, Bucking Bronco?" asked Squalo testily.

"Ah, Squalo," Dino shook his head in embarrassment, "Why do you still continue to call me that?"

"VOOOOI, don't complain. You chose that nickname yourself."

"Yes…when I was seven, though…"

Tsuna suddenly got the impression that Dino and Squalo had been childhood friends. He gaped first at his friend, then at the taller (scarier) male. He gulped when Squalo's eyes landed on him. A shark-like sneer flickered past the man's face, "Voooi, who's this? Your boyfriend, nitwit?"

_Wh-what?! _Before Tsuna could reply, Dino answered brightly, "New dayshift worker. We thought we'd bring him down and show him the bar. Be nice, _Emperor Swordsman_. It's still his first day." To this, Squalo scowled at his own nickname before whirling around to check up on how the other hosts were doing. Tsuna could almost – _almost _find this comical. He turned to Yamamoto, who was quietly standing beside him.

"Do you have anyone here that you know?" Tsuna asked politely.

"Nope," Yamamoto replied cheerfully, his gaze moving over to where Mukuro, a few other hosts, and a group of girls were, "But we can always meet a few people here tonight. Let's go, Tsuna!" Despite the brunet's noises of protests, Yamamoto yanked Tsuna along and waved at the group, "Hey, mind if we join?"

About a dozen pairs of eyes glued themselves onto Tsuna and Yamamoto, but the latter did not mind the extra attention. Tsuna could feel himself turning slightly red, and Bel didn't help by sniggering, "The shorty looks a bit misplaced. Like a little lost puppy, ushishishi~."

_Why is everyone thinking that?_ Tsuna thought miserably as Yamamoto took a seat beside one of the girls. He could vaguely feel Mukuro's intense stare on him, and that didn't help matters at all. The brunet took a quick scan around and hope seemed to rise in his chest. There was no room. Maybe he didn't have to stay here and instead, he could stick with Dino. Unfortunately, he thought too soon for he heard Mukuro's soft snicker.

"Kufufu, come here, Tsunayoshi-kun. Sit beside me."

Oh. He must have overlooked that spot. Tsuna fidgeted nervously, "It's okay, I don't really—"

Mukuro's eyes flashed, the smile pulling at his lips light yet deceptive and his voice barely above a purr, "I _insist_."

The frail brunet immediately caved in, "O-okay then…" Fretfully, he stumbled across to get to where Mukuro was. He paused, for Bel's legs had been propped onto the low table. He waited for the blond to remove his legs, but when he didn't, he tried stepping over them. The moment he did, though, Bel would deviously re-cross his legs to prevent the other from getting past him. Poor Tsuna was red-faced and ashamed from the entertained giggles of the girls. Finally, seemingly bored and noticing the strain in Mukuro's smile, Bel stopped and planted his feet onto the ground.

Mukuro shifted to the side a little, making a little bit more space between him and the man beside him. With one arm behind Fran, he drummed his slender fingers on the space on the couch, "Come, Tsunayoshi-kun. Don't be shy." Amenably tilting his head to one side, Mukuro pulled the bashful brunet onto the seat, securing him there by snaking an arm around his shoulder. Tsuna placed his hands between his shaking knees, his brown eyes fixed on a black mark on the ground.

"Hm~, I haven't seen this one around before."

Warily, Tsuna raised his head only for his eyes to meet with a bright violet pair and a gleaming smile. He scuttled back a bit, but noticing that he was only edging closer towards Mukuro, he decided to just stay in between the two. This white-haired man was sprawled comfortably on the sofa, his leg purposely brushing against Tsuna's as he continued to smile at the latter. Mukuro leaned forward to whisper in Tsuna's ear.

"That is Byakuran-kun, one of the VIP's here," Tsuna nodded hurriedly, forcing a weak smile at the white-haired male, who was undeniably attractive, but the brunet would rather not comment on that. Almost as an afterthought, Mukuro added, "Be careful of him."

Byakuran quietly analyzed the shorter man beside him, a good-natured smile widely spread on his lips, "That was an unnecessary warning, Mukuro. There's nothing to be scared of." Yet even as he said that, those icy irises gazed at him tantalizingly, whims of a teasing gleam in his eyes. Tsuna didn't want to lean back against Mukuro because the notion of it would only cause him to move forward again, and that would bring him closer to the VIP. He sighed, defeated.

Tsuna made a mental note to leave a little early tonight.

* * *

Mukuro languidly rested back into the soft cushion of the sofa, his grip on Tsuna's shoulder lax. He was trying to relax the tense brunet, but nothing he was doing seemed to work. Being friendly only made the latter frightened, and ignoring him was totally out of the question. Tsuna was too amusingly innocent to be let alone in this club by himself. Yamamoto was already talking to one of the girls beside him platonically, but Tsuna was making no effort in trying to speak to anyone.

_We like to party rock and we came to lose control -- shake that  
Came to keep the party, people dancin' cause we -- L-M-F-A-O_

"Oya, you're quiet," said Mukuro, raising his voice ever so slightly so he could be heard over the loud music; he noticed how Tsuna flinched from the volume and from the lyrics. The latter only attempted to smile feebly at Mukuro, and then somehow and somewhat miraculously over the music, Tsuna heard a whimsical voice from his right.

"Oho~, that's a pretty dress you've got there."

"Why thanks, Lussuria," the girl giggled, bashfully turning her gaze away. Bel snickered, stopping his own conversation for a second in order to reprimand the candidly-gay host.

"I hope you're not planning to drug her, kidnap her, and then strip her of her dress so you can have it. Ushishishi~" At this, the girl immediately started to back away from the flamboyantly Mohawked man. Lussuria didn't seem to notice as he swiveled around to pout at Bel.

"Nooo, Bel-chan, you know I'd never do that. I'm too nice," Lussuria shrugged girlishly. "Besides, girls like it when you compliment them. It's how I still _have_ this job, dear."

"It's true, Bel-senpai. You should try it—ow." Fran rubbed the spot on his head where Bel had hit him just a few seconds ago, wincing ever so slightly.

"Shishishi, shut up."

As the girls giggled for what seemed like the umpteenth time that night, Tsuna tried laughing along as well. He was surprised that he actually felt less tense, and Mukuro felt it. He relaxed the grip on the brunet's shoulder, his gaze indolently moving onto Bel, the red orb catching the hidden eyes before the dark blue. "I hope you have something to entertain us with tonight, _Bel._"

The blond's steady smile widened even more, if that was even possible, "Princes _always _find a way to entertain."

At that, several girls took the opportunity to croon compliments at him. Bel proudly listened to them, all the while reaching down to bring out a small duffle bag. Tsuna eyed it cautiously, wondering what the heck could be inside it. Bel opened the bag and peeked inside, checking to see if the 'thing' was still there. He grinned broadly, the crown sliding a bit as he tilted his head, "Shishishi, anyone allergic to snakes?"

Mukuro felt everyone around him straightening up in apprehensiveness, save for him and Byakuran. Fran meekly raised his hand, the monotonous expression still fixed on his countenance. Mukuro was well aware that Fran was not allergic to anything, but Bel bared his teeth in an all-knowing grin anyway, "Good, because I didn't bring any."

Nervous murmurs and laughter trickled around the couches as Bel poked his hand into the worn-out bag. A couple of adults were now at the bar, conversing lightly with Gamma as the man stealthily mixed drinks. Mukuro wondered just how many lame pick-up lines the blond overheard from just this one night. A few were at the far corner, dancing wildly and dirtily with each other, swaying their hips to the beat of the music. Bel hissed as if something had just cut into his arm, and when he pulled his hand out, Mukuro found out why. The corner of his lip started to curl upward in a cunning smirk.

"Kufufu, isn't that _Xanxus's?"_

A small white kitten was being held up into the air and Tsuna caught himself before he could 'aww' along with the women. The little animal bared its sharp teeth as it hissed threateningly at Bel, who nonchalantly raised it up even higher. "Shishishi, the boss will never openly admit this is his, so I just…borrowed it."

"How, kidnapper-senpai, can you borrow Bester if…" Fran faltered, thinking hard. Bel couldn't have _possibly _been at Xanxus's house, could he? The thought itself was a little insane.

"The Prince has his ways," was all Bel said.

_Prince? _Tsuna thought distractedly.

"What are you planning to do with it?" Yamamoto piped up, eager to see what fun this could be. Bel took hold of the kitten in one arm before waving his other hand majestically in the air. He leaned closer to the girl beside him, cleverly guiding his hand around her before skillfully pulling something out from behind: a paintbrush with a wet coat of black already colouring the tip. The girl gasped, astonished.

"Where did _that _come from?"

Bel just smirked as the girls ooh'd with amazement. Mukuro felt his own lips mirroring Bel's smile, yet his own didn't meet the coldness in his eyes. _Simple magic tricks, _he thought as Bel set the kitten onto his lap, holding it down firmly between his knees. Tsuna stammered, "Ah, you're going to suffocate it."

"I won't suffocate it, you peasant. Ushishishi~" but he lessened the grasp anyway. Delicately, he dabbed the wet paintbrush on Bester's once snow-white fur, trailing the brush down until it reached the underside of the kitten's belly. He continued the pattern, but the navy-haired male had caught on right away.

"Stripes, Bel?"

"Shishishi~, it's a genius idea."

Fran peered around worriedly, "Bel-senpai, the boss is going to get mad…"

"_If _he comes out of his office and sees me," Bel corrected, continuing to paint the kitten, "Shishishi, highly unlikely. So I'm safe," he finished the last stripe and proudly dropped the paintbrush onto the table, not caring that some of the colour splashed onto the once-clean glassware, "There~, all done!" he pompously lifted Bester up for all to see. The majority agreed that the kitten now looked like an adorable, undersized tiger.

"What'll Xanxus do once he finds out you've vandalized his pet?" Byakuran inquired as he chuckled lightly.

"Ushishishi~, first he has to figure out who did it," Bel stole a quick glimpse at his hands and frowned, "The Prince's hands are dirty now." Ignoring the offers of 'here, I've got a tissue for you, Bel', he quickly wiped his hands on the back of Fran's shirt, prompting mumbled insults from the shorter male.

"…You got my clothes dirty, stupid-senpai."

The blond man ignored him, his Cheshire smile slipping back into place. The cat was now clawing futilely at his hand, but the way Bel was holding him, it was impossible for it to get at him with its short reach. "I think I improved the little beast, won't you agree?"

Mukuro smirked in vast amusement just as a shadow hovered over the blond.

"Trash, what the _hell _are you doing?"

Bel blinked beneath disheveled golden bangs, his blood freezing. Bester purred triumphantly as a bead of sweat slid down the blond's pale neck. His grip of the kitten slackened and Bester wasted no time in squirming its way out. It landed on the floor on its four paws and scurried towards Xanxus. The tall man's hand fell on the 'Prince's' hair and he tangled his fingers through it, wheeling the blond around in his seat to face him. Tsuna's eyes widened as he saw the man; faint scars could be seen on the side of his face, dark crimson orbs glared furiously at the blond host, and his height was nothing short of intimidating. The brunet could already feel angry vibes being emitted from the dark-haired boss.

Bel's grin started faltering, wincing slightly when he felt a few strands of his hair parting his scalp, "Hi, boss." The girls waited with bated yet anticipated breath to see what Xanxus would do. Though the glower wasn't even directed at him, Tsuna automatically gripped Mukuro's shirt for protection. _Hiii, what a scary man! _

If Bel _was _frightened, he was doing a very good job at concealing it. Pearly white teeth flashed in the darkness as Bel straightened up, pushing Xanxus's hand off his head. The latter twitched in irritation as he watched the blond stand up. Byakuran smiled cheerfully, "Better be careful, Bel~. Xanxus-chan might rape you into tomorrow as a punishment."

"Shut up, scum."

"Shishishi~! Boss isn't denying it," Bel laughed wildly, and Tsuna wondered if there was something wrong with his head, "He can't, anyway. Watch, the Prince shall make him speechless." Then, almost as if by insane impulse, Bel swung his legs over the backrest of the couch, perching himself upon it. With one slender hand placed on Xanxus's broad shoulder, he used his other finger to twirl a wisp of black hair and leaned in close to the male. Tsuna ogled at the sight, eyes bulging when he saw Bel's lips grazing the side of Xanxus's cheek. Squeals erupted from the girls' side.

"The Prince is the winner~," Bel gloated happily, drawing away from Xanxus – well, at least, he _tried _to. Growling adamantly, Xanxus's hand clenched the front of Bel's shirt and yanked him forwards. The next thing everyone knew, the blond was brusquely thrown over the boss's shoulder. Words escaped the flustered Bel as the latter wordlessly sauntered over to his office. "S-shishishi, _what_ are you doing?" Bel vainly kicked his leg out, but it was met with air. "I do not like being carried around by _peasants, _boss."

"Should someone help him?" Tsuna asked carefully. He watched as Xanxus smirked haughtily and as the two disappeared around the corner.

"Let Bel-senpai handle it on his own," Fran sniffed disapprovingly. He had no intentions in saving that blond maniac.

"Kufufu, but the problem is," Mukuro interjected with a soft laugh, "that now we're back to the start. Any requests from our guests?"

"How about a little dance from Tsunayoshi-kun?" Byakuran suggested with a charming smile. Tsuna's grip on Mukuro's shirt tightened as he jerked his head towards the white-haired man.

"EHH?!"

Conveniently, Mukuro spoke up first, "Unfortunately, as much as the rest of us would like to see that, Tsunayoshi is not part of the night shift," his daunting stare rested on each person around him, daring them to say something. Abruptly, he flashed them a quick, serene smile, "Anything else?"

"Actually," one of the women said shyly, "I want to see _Fran_ dance."

The green-haired host blinked his eyes, confused and wondering if he had heard right. He pointed at himself with his thumb, "Me?"

"Yes, you arsenal of cuteness."

Fran shook his head firmly, "I don't dance."

"Kufufu, of course you do," and with those words, the girls giggled and forced Fran up to his feet. Without further ado, they pushed him towards the bar, lifting him up so that he was standing on the bar. Gamma shot them a quirked eyebrow, but he didn't question them. Odd things happened at this time of night, and even stranger things occurred later on. However, that was all Tsuna saw because he hurriedly averted his eyes from the scene. He felt embarrassed for Fran, having to stand on the bar and dance for the ladies. It was just stiff armed movements, as Fran was still dubious about his dancing skills, but he wasn't allowed to reject. It was then that he noticed that Byakuran had left as well, probably to harass another poor, innocent soul.

It was also then that he realized he was alone with Mukuro on the couches. Gulping, he heard the man's smooth voice in his ear, "So are you going to let go now, Tsunayoshi-kun?" the brunet gazed up at him questioningly. Mukuro was smiling cunningly down at him, strands of navy hair covering his dual-coloured eyes, "Not that I'm complaining; I am quite fond of the feel of your hands on me, but skin-to-skin would be more exciting, won't you agree?"

"HIII!" Straight away, Tsuna unclasped his fingers from Mukuro's shirt and as he hastily shuffled back, he felt his spine colliding into the stiff armrest. He held his hands in front of him defensively, "I-I'm sorry, Mukuro-san, I had no idea I was–-"

"No need to apologize, kufufufu," a subtle smile had already crept onto his lips and Tsuna swallowed hard as the man advanced towards him. Placing one knee between the brunet's slim legs and his hands beside Tsuna's skinny frame, he snickered, "Whatever shall we do with just the _two of us_?"

Tsuna wondered how on earth he had managed to slide down until he was lying on his back with Mukuro patently towering over him. His eyes widened visibly and he squeaked pathetically as he raised his hands so that they were between Mukuro's lean body and his own. _This is almost sexual harassment! _Tsuna's thoughts screamed at him. He wriggled around uncomfortably, "Uh, Mukuro-san, I don't…"

"Yes?" Mukuro leaned down and hummed against his throat. His hair tickled Tsuna and instinctively, the small man drew his knee up and accidentally hit the other eccentric male in the stomach. Tsuna took a hissed intake of breath, watching as the man's one crimson eye slid closed.

"Ouch."

"Sorry," Tsuna bit down on his tongue, but Mukuro didn't seem too mad. In fact, he just smirked.

"Tsunayoshi-kun likes it rough, hm?"

"_Hiii?!_"

"Oi, Mukur — whoa!" The entire couch moved an inch forward. As soon as Tsuna glanced up, he saw the familiar face of Dino. Apparently, he had tripped over his own shoelace and crashed into the furniture. His golden hair was matted down with slight perspiration, so Tsuna had the idea that the Italian may have been dancing around. But he was given an entirely different explanation when the other noticed him staring, "Oh, aha, I was trying to find Kyoya, see. Turned out he was hiding again and, well, I don't think he was too pleased to see me," he chuckled nervously to himself, "I managed to get him out of that room, though."

Mukuro cocked his head to the side, sitting back up. Tsuna's face felt rather warm as he mimicked the other man, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants. He tried not to think of what had just happened. Dino shot a glance at Tsuna, grinning widely before turning to Mukuro, "Don't you have something special planned for Mondays?"

"…Kufufu, what are you going on about?"

"Aw, you know what I'm saying," Dino clasped Mukuro on the shoulder, "You might as well show Tsuna the night shift's weekly tradition." Facing Tsuna, he explained briefly, "They have a game every week on Mondays. All the hosts have to participate, don't they, Mukuro?"

"Hm, since you know so much about it, maybe you should work on the nightshift, Dino-san."

Dino laughed cheerfully, "But then I wouldn't be able to score a date with—"

"Alright, let me find the other host and see if he's still alive." Lazily prying himself off the couch, Mukuro stood up and stifled a yawn; he was still a little exhausted from the all-nighters he had pulled off. Taking powerful strides towards the boss's office, he chose not to knock before swinging the door open.

"…Oya, let's keep this PG-13."

Mukuro eyed the pair with a distinctive wary gaze. Papers were being pushed every which way and black and blue pens had fallen onto the ground. Bel was lying on the desk, his feet dangling off the edge of the table and his crown barely latching onto his wayward hair. Xanxus's hand was ruthlessly shoving Bel's shirt up and it was only halfway up when the two ceased their actions. Xanxus's blood-red eyes languidly scrolled up to meet Mukuro's mismatched orbs; he lifted his head slightly from the blond's neck, successfully drawing a muffled, disappointed noise from Bel.

"You better have a good reason for interrupting me, scum."

"I do, I do," Mukuro smirked, leaning against the door frame. The sight before him didn't faze him at all, "I need to borrow Bel for a few minutes. It's _that _time."

At this, Xanxus growled under his breath. Mukuro knew that this 'game' idea hadn't been his. Reborn had wanted to make the night shift fun as well. Bel quickly rolled out from underneath Xanxus and brushed the imaginary dust off his black pants. With a flattering pink tinting the blond's cheeks, he scampered out the office without a glance back at Xanxus. Mukuro watched as the grumpy boss sat himself down, not bothering to pick up his fallen pencils. The latter started backing out the door, a delicate smile on his face.

"I'll be sure to call him back in afterwards, _Xanxus-chan._"

The man closed his eyes, lulling his head back against the chair. His lips parted and a low mutter could be heard, "You better."

"Kufufu," Mukuro chuckled, closing the door as he departed. When he stepped around the corner, he already saw Lussuria explaining the rules of tonight's game. His eyes traveling from hosts against the wall, left to right, he noticed Hibari Kyoya and Fran standing dully beside Bel, who was still a blushing phenomenon. Another skinny, black-haired male stood beside him; Mukuro recognized him as the new hired host: Lancia. Squalo had placed himself furthest from the group, eager to not participate. Gamma wasn't among the others, but he was technically still included in the game. Mukuro took this chance to slide between Squalo and Lancia.

"The game is easy~," Lussuria cooed as he waved his hand at the dartboard on his right, "Your objection is to hit bulls-eye nine times for your prize. That's it! Oh, but if you miss once, you lose your chance and you'll have to wait until next week~ Guess what your prize is, dear," he turned to a random woman beside him, and she jumped, startled. Without waiting for a coherent answer, he exclaimed, "Thaaat's right! As usual, it's a date with one of the night shift hosts of your choice! Isn't _that_ exciting?"

Eager murmurs went around the club as the music turned down a notch. In the Mohawked man's hands were nine darts, each one sharp to the point. Tsuna gawked at them. What if he missed and hit someone? What if he _killed _someone? Lussuria was wearing sunglasses, even though the vicinity was so dark to begin with that it was already hard to see, "Would anyone like to go first?"

The women playfully urged another to go, but no one was brave enough to step up first. Finally, Yamamoto humorously pushed Dino into the spotlight. The blond blinked at the darts in the other man's hand and Tsuna gulped, knowing Dino's clumsy reputation. He slowly started to back away from his friend.

"Nine times?" Dino inquired all the while roving his eyes over to where Hibari was standing. He waved to him, and the black-haired male rolled his eyes, turning away. Shrugging the unfriendly gesture off, Dino grasped the darts and placed himself a few meters away from the front of the red and black board. The moment the first dart left his hand, Hibari automatically swayed to the left, narrowly dodging the dart as it whizzed past his head. He scowled, glaring at the blond contestant. "Oops. Sorry, Kyoya."

"I will bite you to death for being so disgustingly uncoordinated."

"Wah? I'll do better, I promise," he shot another one and this one _skinned _the top of Fran's head. The green-eyed host mumbled complaints under his breath. Mukuro smirked, edging a little away from the board.

"Kufufu, maybe you should stop before you kill someone."

"As long as it's _you, _I don't mind," Hibari interjected, huffing through his nose.

"Oya, oya, so mean…" Mukuro sighed, shaking his head, "But really, we don't want to clean up a dead body now, do we? You lost anyhow." Nodding to Lussuria, the other man carefully plucked the darts out of Dino's hands, almost as if scared that he was going to get his hands cut. Dino shrugged, his expression clearly showing that he was deterred at all.

"Better luck next time."

"Soooo, who's going to be next, hm~?" Lussuria waved the darts around, pointing them at each individual. Tsuna's eyes widened as the point of a dart positioned at him. "How about the new guy?"

"Me?" Tsuna gawked at Lussuria with an 'are you kidding me?!' look. "Nonono, I'll be worse than Dino-san! I can't aim to save me li-wahh!" Somehow, someone managed to shove the brunet into the spotlight and Tsuna blushed a dark red as he felt all eyes on him. He straightened up, trying to keep a nonchalant face on, but his trembling knees gave him away.

"Yes, you~! Aren't you a cute one~ Here," Lussuria handed the darts to Tsuna, and two fell out of his small hands and landed near his shoes. Slightly terrified, he jumped around on the spot, cautious of not stepping on them. He hastily scooped them back up, cradling them in his arms.

"I can't aim though!"

"Mahh, it's just for fun, Tsuna!" Yamamoto cheered from the sidelines.

Tsuna squeezed his eyes shut, one hand firmly grasping a dart. _Okay, okay, but if I kill someone with this…EEK! _He threw it with his eyes closed. He was alarmed to hear people clapping; he peeked through one eye only to see the point of the dart protruding from the center of the target, "What?"

"Eight more times, Tsuna!"

It was like the darts had a life of its own. Whether it was luck or that, he would never know. Tsuna wouldn't even _aim purposely_ and the object would still hit its mark. In the end, he was left standing with nothing left in his arms. Dino slapped him on the back, causing him to almost fly forward, "Congratulations, Tsuna! I never knew you could play darts!"

"I…didn't know either…"

"Choose, choose, choose~!" Lussuria rushed him, clasping his hands together excitedly, "You must choose who you want to have a date with!"

"I don't particularly…"

"Choose, peasant, ushishishi~"

"You just want to get back to the boss, fake prince-senpai."

To this, the blond did not answer right away. Tsuna tried focusing on each and every one of those faces, attempting to see which one he'd prefer to have a date with. He didn't want to, really, but it seemed like he like he had no choice. First, his eyes landed on Hibari and before he could even think about it, the latter scowled.

"Don't choose me or I will bite you to death."

"HIII, okay!" Tsuna turned to the next person, but Fran and Bel were still busy bickering at each other. Tsuna was definitely _not _going to choose the blond, not when he was almost property of the scary boss here. Fran… Tsuna shook his head, skipping Lancia and Mukuro, deciding firmly that he was definitely _not _going to choose Squalo or Gamma, and he soon found himself staring at the navy-haired pervert.

"Decided yet? Kufufu~."

"N-no…"

"If you're not going to choose anyone, you're going to have to go on a date with me~," cooed Lussuria fondly, draping an arm around Tsuna's shoulder. "Or perhaps Squ-chan will make a better date for you!" Though the brunet knew that the man was just being incredibly friendly (that, or just plain creepy), he leapt away, uttering the first name that came to his head.

"I'll go with Mukuro-san!"

The club immediately burst out into protests of 'nooo, I wanted Muku-san!', but Lussuria quickly hushed them up by warning them that Xanxus would be likely to come out if they made any more noise. As he chose one last contestant to play the game, Tsuna dismissed himself from the crowd and crossed over to the nearest wall, the palm of his hands cupping his cheeks as he murmured to himself, "What have I done, what have I done? I just…asked Mukuro-san out on a date, didn't I? No! I was forced to! This doesn't mean anything, does it? Oh, what—"

"Do you talk to yourself all the time when you're excited?" Tsuna wheeled around to see Mukuro right behind him, the smile still sneakily tugging at his lips.

"I'm not excited," Tsuna objected shakily. Glancing left and right, he realized that he was cornered into a wall. Mukuro raised his arms, trapping the brunet so that he couldn't escape. Tsuna swallowed hard, forcing himself to gaze into those perturbing, mismatched orbs. His breath hitched in his throat as he felt a hand sliding around his waist, inching him closer towards the taller. The man's breath ghosted over Tsuna's ear, making him shiver involuntarily. Mukuro smirked against his ear.

"We'll see."

The other looked like he was just about to make another sly comment, so Tsuna, without really thinking it over, dodged under and around Mukuro's lithe body before tripping over to the stairs. Vaguely aware that he had no ride home, he quickly bowed his head, "I'm going to go home."

"It's only five minutes till midnight, Tsunayoshi-kun. Are you sure you don't want to stay a little bit longer?" Those peculiar eyes gleamed amiably.

"No," Tsuna hurriedly replied. He didn't realize that there was another step behind him and he cried out as he fell down and hit the corner. Rubbing his head in an adorable manner, he managed to stutter out, "I'm…really, really tired. I'll see you tomorrow! Or not, depending on – okay, bye."

He should have expected another 'kufufu' to follow him out of the night club. All the while walking home with sore, tired feet, Tsuna couldn't stop his heart from beating out of control, nor could he get the idea of 'promising a date with Mukuro' out of his mind.

_Hiiii, what have I done?!_

* * *

_**AN:** _Yes, poor little Tunafishie. Zomg, this actually didn't take me long to write. I actually don't expect future chapters to come as quickly though. I get A.D.D easily, as most of my friends know. LOL, it actually took me a lot longer to find a song than to write in general. I don't...listen to this type of music. -shot- S'all good~ Again, thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed. I love you all :3

_& t'anks to Neece and Roriette, my seme and uke, [insert maniacal laughter in here], for helping me and pushing me to write this. ;D My luves. Zexual, you are zexy, and I love you too. :3_

**P.S: **Tentative pairings. x-x There are only two that I'm fosho of. Right now, you already know XB. Debating whether or not I should do SD or D18. Gahh. And then there's Gamma~. Ahaha, me and my XB and Gamma59 writing addiction, but the other hasn't even been introduced yet. :3 :3 :3 x 723498. There are lonely hot guys here (Byakuran, Fran, Yamamoto, etc). LOL. Anyhow, I shall be thinking 'bout it. And Oooh~ one more day until Valentine Crisis updates (and until my name changes)! Gogogo read ~ ;D


	4. Follow Me Down

**Summary:** A bored drawl was evident in the waiter's deep voice as he handed Tsuna a menu, "My name is Rokudo Mukuro, and, no, my good looks are not an illusion. Now, what would you like to have?" AU!6927

**Warnings: **Jealous Gokudera, slight NightSmex (a.k.a Gamma59), probably D18, smexy bar drink names, bondage (LOL), dangerous weapons, boys sleeping in the same...room. Oh wait, they're men.  
**Song::** If U Seek Amy - Britney Spears (wut the--)

Other than the date, which is obviously going to happen in the next chapter unless plot bunnies attack me, does anyone want anything to happen? Pffft. ;3

* * *

Hell Café**  
**_It's a world of its own – Mukuro R. & Tsuna S._

**_Chapter four  
_**Follow Me Down**_  
_**_so follow me down, out of this town, girl, you're moving way too slow_

A week had passed, and it was Friday already. The moment Tsuna twisted onto his side on his bed, he was blasted with the morning sun's beams. Squeezing his eyes shut, he pulled his blanket up until it covered his forehead. How he had woken up in the first place, he didn't know. Then, after an abrupt _bang _somewhere behind him, he knew why. He heard frenetic pounding on the apartment door.

"Jyuudaime!" Just like Squalo's and Dino's nicknames, his friend had a special name for him as well. Though whenever Tsuna tried asking him what it meant, Gokudera would never tell him; instead, he would give him a secret smile. Tsuna had a feeling that it had something to do with high school – grade ten was when they first met, but he wasn't too sure. He was pretty sure Jyuudaime meant _Tenth._

"Huuuuh," the brunet's drowsy voice floated towards the door, but the person outside didn't seem to have heard it. After a few more frantic knockings, Tsuna finally rubbed his head and swung his feet over the side of the bed. Blinking groggily and almost tripping over his clothes that were splayed all over the ground, he robotically allowed his feet to stride over to the door. He opened it.

"…Gokudera-kun?"

Those green eyes shone with joy and the silver-head carefully launched himself at Tsuna. The brunet, surprisingly, wasn't shocked by this public display of affection. He was already used to the morning tackles, the coffee that Gokudera always brought (but it looked like he didn't bring any today), and the way the silver-haired man embraced him was more than just a little friendly. And Tsuna knew of the man's feelings towards him. He just…never felt the same way.

"Good morning." Tsuna smiled, attempting to stand up but the weight of the other man kept him down. Gokudera grinned, helping his friend up to his feet. The brunet inwardly sighed; it was only with _him _that the silveret would act civil towards. Everyone else – well, there was no limit to his rudeness. He blinked blearily at his friend and yawned. "What time is it?"

"It's six forty-five."

"HIII?! No way!" Pushing Gokudera aside, he raced into the bathroom and attempted to flatten down his hair. He brushed his teeth, changed his pants, put on his socks, and washed his face in a matter of seconds – miraculously enough. He was going to be late for work if he didn't head out now. Walking to the café took about twenty minutes, and by then he was going to be late and Reborn was going to mascara him in his sleep. Or massacre him. Either one.

"What's wrong, Jyuudaime?"

The brunet hopped around on one foot, his shoe falling out of his hands. As he reached down to pick it back up, he gasped, "I've got work now, Gokudera-kun! I can't be late or Reborn's going to fry me alive. Or maybe he'll get your sister to feed me some of her—oh, no." Tsuna paused, his stomach twisting violently. He couldn't throw up this early in the morning. The other man's green eyes widened considerably, mainly from shock.

"Bianchi works at – wait, no, _you're _working at Hell Café? Since when?"

"Since this Monday." Tsuna glanced over at his friend imploringly, but even when he didn't say anything, Gokudera got the message immediately.

"I can drive you there if you'd like!" Gokudera's eyes were positively sparkling with delight. Tsuna hesitated, uncertain. He didn't want to give his friend the wrong idea, but he really needed a drive. Shaking his head, he grinned. It was just a drive.

"I'd like that. Thank you, Gokudera-kun."

"No problem, Jyuudaime! Anything for you!"

"Th-thanks…again."

They hustled out to Gokudera's Mercedes Benz, in which the tall silveret graciously opened the car door for Tsuna. It didn't take long to get there, but when Tsuna invited Gokudera in just to hang around, the latter tentatively glanced in. Tsuna knew who he was looking for. "Don't worry, Gokudera-kun. Bianchi works in the kitchen, so you won't see her…hopefully." The brunet could already hear the silver-head's stomach growling in protest. In the end, he managed to get his friend into the café. He had a feeling that Gokudera never had the courage to step in.

"Tsuna-kun! You're almost late!" Kyoko ran past him, carrying a few plates along with her. Tsuna nodded hastily, taking off his coat and throwing it aside. Gokudera quickly caught it and hung it up for him, but Tsuna was already at the counter, so his actions were left unnoticed. The girl tossed him his notebook and a pen, but the brunet, being the clumsy person he was, missed and the objects clattered to the ground. Gokudera immediately scrambled around, trying to pick the two items up, much to Tsuna's revelation.

"Here, Jyuudaime."

"…Thank you." Tsuna sent him a gentle smile, which seemed to ease the other man a bit. "Gokudera-kun, you know you don't have to stay here if you don't want to. I won't be off until six."

"It's okay. I want to stay," Gokudera insisted. Tsuna knew that there was nothing he could say that could change his mind. He _could _make the man leave if he really wanted to (which he didn't) by getting Bianchi to come out. But that was just cruel.

"Why don't you sit down by the side, then?"

The latter grinned, seating himself down on one of the tables where Tsuna would be waiting later. Well, all for the better. There would be less tables for him to serve. Almost automatically, he glanced around the other tables to see if a certain pineapple-haired man was there. He wasn't sure if he should feel dismayed when he saw him at table sixteen again. He didn't know why he was surprised; Mukuro had been sitting there for the past few days. And each time, the blue-haired eccentric male asked him for another piece of information. Tsuna was starting to think he was gathering facts just so he could blackmail him.

He went from 'I've never gotten a perfect score in my life' to 'I'm scared of needles' to 'My birthday is on October 14th', but most of them were embarrassing facts about him. It seemed as if those were the only ones that would come into his mind whenever the Mukuro was around. He couldn't help himself from feeling flustered whenever he was being stared at by those mismatched eyes. First customer, as always. Swallowing nervous bile that felt like it was clotting his throat, Tsuna crossed over to where Mukuro was and started off without saying interesting blackmail information, "Hello, I'll be your waiter for today."

"Mmm, good morning, Tsunayoshi-kun." Mukuro smiled eerily at him, his chin propped on the palm of his hand; this was the usual pose when greeting him. It was _that_ smile which placed frenetic butterflies in Tsuna's panicky stomach. The brunet could feel Gokudera's jade eyes at the back of his head, but he did his best not to make a big deal out of it. It was probably because he still had a date to go on with Mukuro. Taking a deep breath, he responded carefully.

"Good morning, Mukuro-san." He kept his gaze firmly on his notebook, handing the menu to the man without looking him in the eyes. "How are you?"

"Since when did my delectable Tsunayoshi-kun start small talk with me?" Mukuro's crimson eye flashed, and then the navy. Tsuna gulped, now having to face those stoic orbs. Before he could say anything, Mukuro responded smoothly, "I'm doing fine. There's something missing to make my week but I'll be making sure I get it by Sunday." By these words, Tsuna immediately had a cold shiver run down his spine.

"Wh-what?"

A creepy smile lifted the corner of the man's lips. "You heard me. Kufufu." He handed the hard-cover menu back to the brunet, shaking his head. Tsuna knew what he meant already. The usual. It was just a force of habit to give his customers a menu. This time, he managed to turn halfway before hearing Mukuro's velvety voice. "Ah, Tsunayoshi-kun. You're forgetting something again."

_Oh, great…_ Tsuna wracked his brains for a good fact about himself. Why was it every time he was in front of this guy, he would always have a hard time choosing between information? He didn't want Mukuro to think he was a complete and utter fail in life, but that was how it was. And there was no way in hell he was going to say 'I moved out of my mother's house just a few months ago'. He gnawed on his bottom lip, trapping it between his teeth. "What do you want me to say?"

"Something special about you," was all Mukuro said. After a few seconds, he mentioned, "Anything you say can be used against you."

"Thanks for the warning, Mukuro-san," Tsuna said, exasperated. "Let's see. Um…I really can't—" he paused mid-sentence, wondering how he should word this. "I can't think of anything right now. What…what do you want to know right now? I'll make it up to you later, I promise." He bit on the inside of his cheek; he shouldn't have used the 'p' word.

Mukuro's lips curled. "What do I want to know? Kufufu." The sparkle in the man's eyes told Tsuna that he was up to no good…_again_. "I want to know if you're busy tomorrow. Remember that little date you owe me?"

"I _won _it," Tsuna corrected automatically, but his hands flew to his mouth the moment he said it out loud. Those peculiar orbs gleamed: _So you _do _want it. _Tsuna shook his head, mulling it over. _Was _he busy tomorrow? Honestly, a date wouldn't hurt – wait, maybe it would. _Argh. _"I'm…_not _busy but I still don't – "

"Wonderful, Tsunayoshi. I'll pick you up at your house tomorrow at one o' clock."

"N-no, wait—"

Mukuro gave him a light push towards the vague direction of the counter, adding a little slide to his lower backside and causing the brunet to wriggle in embarrassment. "Go on." Tsuna threw him a wary look, but he wrote down: _Table 16; Mukuro - the usual. _When he glanced back to see how Gokudera was doing, he was actually surprised to see the silver-head glaring daggers quite obviously at Mukuro. He must have seen everything that had happened. A small smile appeared on the brunet's face; it was just Gokudera being Gokudera.

The good thing was that today was a slow day. No one was sitting at the tables where Tsuna was supposed to be waiting. Dino, however, had to run around and serve, and sprinting around was already a dangerous act for the Italian blond. The bad thing was that there was now a plate of pineapples and pancakes in his hands and he wasn't feeling particularly safe approaching the blue-haired man. Yet he did it anyway.

"Here you go, Mukuro-san."

Tsuna stayed there, awkwardly standing. There was no one else to wait, and Mukuro always wanted to talk to him. Well, talking was an understatement. It was mainly Tsuna watching him eat, which didn't make the latter the least bit uncomfortable. However, today was a little different. "Is that your friend, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

Tsuna followed his gaze and saw Gokudera still glowering at the man. The brunet flushed with embarrassment; he wished his friend would be more discreet about these things. The moment the brown met with the emerald orbs, Gokudera straightened up, a smile breaking on his face. Tsuna hesitantly returned the grin with a wavering anxious one. "Yes, he is."

Mukuro cocked his head to the side, forking the last slice of yellow pineapple into his mouth. He chewed slowly, and after he swallowed, his lips parted to say, "Oya, he looks rather infuriated with something. Couldn't be me, could it?"

The smaller man shook his head worriedly. "No, no, it's not you," he lied through his teeth. Mukuro didn't seem to believe him anyway. Tsuna hated his voice for shaking. Sipping the last of his coffee, the taller stood up and the brunet caught the mischievous glimmer in those mismatched eyes. Before he knew it, Mukuro had placed a finger underneath his chin and tipped his head up so that he was looking him in the eyes. The man smirked, leaning in to whisper, "Thank you for the meal."

Incoherent splutters issued out of the pink lips of the brunet. The smirk on the blue-haired male's mouth widened as his eyes caught Gokudera's. "Someone is jealous, Tsunayoshi-kun. Kufufu~"

Scraping of a wooden chair could be heard from behind and the next thing Tsuna knew, Gokudera was standing beside him. The smaller male was yanked from behind and he yelped out in surprise. His friend snarled, "What are you doing to Jyuudaime?"

"Jyuudaime?" Mukuro repeated softly, slightly thrilled with the anger in the silveret's eyes.

"Old nickname," Tsuna explained halfheartedly. Gokudera kept a tight grip on the back of the man's uniform, but Mukuro didn't look the least bit deterred. In fact, he looked like he was chuckling inwardly, which only enraged Gokudera even more. Apparently, Mukuro knew exactly how to handle the situation.

"Perhaps you should come join Tsunayoshi on the nightshift."

"Nightshift?" The man's eyebrows contracted in suspicion.

Mukuro inclined his head in a slight nod. "Yes, nightshift. You know, little puppies tend to walk in with absolutely no idea what is going on. They need someone to protect them," and inside his head, Mukuro thought that _he_ would be the best candidate for Tsuna. However, Gokudera got a completely different understanding, and just as he was about to nod his head excitedly, he caught himself on time and gave a brusque nod.

"If…" he started, stealing a sideways glance at the brunet. "If Jyuudaime allows me to."

"You can go anywhere you like, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna reassured him, waving his hands in front of him. Mukuro smiled.

"I see we might have two puppies tonight. Well, then that's that. I'll see you tonight, Tsunayoshi-kun. Kufufu."

"H-hey! I didn't say _I _would go…" But the eccentric navy-haired man had already started to plod away.

Gokudera was three-quarters through shouting an insult after the retreating man. He shook a fist at him in a rude gesture, glaring at his back. "What does he mean 'there will be two puppies'?"

_I think he means how you keep following me…like a puppy_, Tsuna thought hazily, but he shrugged. He had only served one person, but he felt utterly exhausted already. Honestly, conversing with Mukuro sucked all the energy out of him. His blood was excitedly rushed around like wine (he felt slightly intoxicated too), but he was deadly tired. He dragged his feet to the table and collected the plate and the utensils, bringing them back to the kitchen. _Clock-watcher, _he thought, amused. Only ten more hours until he got off work…and then it was mayhem. Nightshift…was always mayhem.

* * *

_Love me, hate me; say what you want about me,_

_But all the boys and all the girls are begging to F-U-C—_

"This music sucks," Gokudera grumbled, slouching over with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Tsuna had changed into something slightly better than his first night here – a dark cardigan vest with a vermilion dress-shirt underneath. He thought that if he wore white, he would still look like the daytime waiters. Tsuna smiled warmly at his friend, which the latter returned grudgingly. "Who was that guy this morning, anyway?"

"Eh?" Tsuna raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

Gokudera did a half-hearted shrug with one shoulder. "You know, that weird blue-haired idiot with the scary eyes. The one that was all over you during breakfast."

"I don't think…" Tsuna was about to say '_I don't think he was all over me_', but Mukuro left that impression on almost everyone. Even Dino and Lambo agreed that Mukuro couldn't take his eyes off the brunet. Tsuna was pretty sure the man was just teasing him though, and that in the end, it didn't mean anything. "He's a friend," he concluded.

"I don't like him," the man seethed.

_Of course not…_

Mukuro should be given the Bad-Timing Award. "Glad you could make it again, Tsunayoshi-kun." The man, again, appeared out of nowhere from behind and whirled the smaller male around to pull him into a warm embrace. Tsuna could feel his cheeks burning in embarrassment, and Mukuro was doing nothing to help by smirking triumphantly at Gokudera. The brunet could almost feel the rage radiating from the silver-head. He quickly pulled away, and the nightshift worker gave a curt nod to the other. "Hello, Tsunayoshi's dog."

"Hey! I'm _not _his dog!"

"Puppy-san, then?" His tone was good-natured, but there may have been a hint of mockery in there.

"Why, you—" Tsuna chose this moment to step in between them, keeping a hand firmly placed on Gokudera's chest to keep him from advancing any further. He felt his stomach dropping; if this continued on, this night wasn't going to end well. He shook his head imploringly at his silver-headed friend.

"Please, Gokudera-kun."

Giving Mukuro a glare was harder than it seemed. Tsuna gave up halfway when his lips threatened to curl upwards every time, and the man didn't help by looking all innocent. He knew exactly what Gokudera's feelings for him were, and infuriating the silveret was his idea of fun. Tsuna led his friend away to a more secluded area of the bar and placed him against the wall. "Gokudera-kun," he started out confidently, or at least, tried to, but he ended up softening his tone. He couldn't be harsh with this man. "Please, don't start any fights tonight. It would be bad."

"But Jyuudaime—"

Tsuna bit down on his bottom lip, watching as the anger in Gokudera's eyes faded out. That was all he needed. Tsuna just needed to let the fuse die down, and Gokudera would be calm again. Or slightly less furious. That was better than nothing. Thinking that his job was done, the brunet turned around to start to head back where Mukuro had seated himself down next to a couple of ladies, but the moment he even got halfway around, Gokudera grasped his elbow and pulled him back gently. "Jyuudaime…"

The look in his bright green eyes made it clear to Tsuna what he was about to say. "Um…"

"I don't know if you know but—"

It took all of Tsuna's dying will to hold onto Gokudera's hand and unclasp his fingers from his arm. He took a shuddering deep breath. Rejections were hard, but he couldn't have Gokudera chasing after him forever. As much as the attention was nice, it was time for the silver-head to move on. "I do know, Gokudera-kun." He added a little pressure to the man's hands for reassurance. "I just don't share the same feelings. I'm sorry."

Happiness, surprise, and sadness, and then surprise again flickered in those emerald orbs, and just when Tsuna thought Gokudera was going to break down into tears, the man's face split into a wide grin. The latter rubbed the back of his head, cheeks pink with slight humiliation. "Ah, of course. Jyuudaime would notice such obvious things. Ah well, i-it's okay! I didn't think Jyuudaime would like a guy like me anyway!"

"…" Tsuna couldn't think of anything to say. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm okay!" Gokudera patted Tsuna on the back; the grin was almost too big for his face. So big that it was starting to hurt. But a sudden thought occurred to him. "It's not _him, _is it?" He shot a wary look at a certain, mismatched-eyed man. Tsuna followed his gaze, and immediately blanched.

"HIII?! Mukuro-san?! N-no way!" Even as he said this, his cheeks flushed with a flattering shade that was barely noticeable in the darkness. Sure, despite the creepiness behind Mukuro's tactics, the brunet kind of liked it when he received the attention the man gave him. Abruptly, Gokudera's face fell dramatically and he knocked his head against the wall, a depressing aura hanging over his lithe figure.

"Ahh, I can't believe I lost to _that_ bastard …Jyuudaime's innocent heart will surely be tainted."

"_Gokudera-kun!_ I didn't _say _anything."

Tsuna closed his eyes, knowing that he had hurt his friend, but if Gokudera didn't want him to worry about it, then that was the least he could do right now. Touching his friend's arm in a comforting manner, he staggered back towards the couches to sit next to Mukuro.

* * *

Gokudera felt the warmth of the touch but he fought every fiber in his body telling him to lift his head and yank the smaller man into a tight embrace. This was Tsuna's choice, and he had to respect it. He didn't want to ruin the beautiful friendship they already had between them.

…Still, losing to that pineapple-headed freak. He crossed over to the bar and slumped down in a lime-coloured chair. Propping his chin on the counter, he didn't hide that he was utterly depressed from being rejected. He sat in a position so that Tsuna couldn't see him well.

"Rough night?"

Gokudera adjusted his jade green eyes on the man looming over him. First thing he noticed were the man's pale hands, wiping a glass and placing it behind him. His eyes travelled up and he read the man's nametag: Gamma. Scowling, he focused on the face and it wasn't a lie to say that this guy had handsome, chiseled features. Gamma's blond hair was slicked back with gel, and his tantalizing cobalt eyes had some sort of mesmerizing feeling within them. For some reason, looking at this man, he was getting even more frustrated, or what was that feeling deep inside him that was irritatingly rousing? A deeper frown creased on the silver-head's mouth and his shoulders drooped, eyes falling back onto the counter. "Yes."

Soft snickers could be heard, and Gokudera did his best to ignore them. "Want a drink? It'll be on me."

A free drink? How could he refuse that? And he needed something to forget this night anyway. Gokudera took this chance to glance up. "What is?"

The silver-head must have been depressingly delusional, because he heard: "A goodnight kiss after hot sex."

"_Wh-what?!"_

Gamma sent him a strange look. A shadow of a shrewd smirk appeared on his lips before he repeated himself. "_A Goodnight Kiss_ or _After Hot Sex_. You choose."

Hiding how he flustered he must have acted, Gokudera waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care as long as he had one. He could feel his ears burning. Resting his forehead on the clean counter once more, he groaned. He knew he was going to be having a major hangover tomorrow morning. Red coloured his cheeks, however, when he heard Gamma murmur:

"_After Hot Sex_ it is, then."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tsuna was wondering why there seemed to be no room on the couches. Fran, Bel, Mukuro, Squalo – the usual, were languidly spread out on the couches, almost as if to purposely not make room. The girls smiled in amusement and some clicked their tongues in sympathy as Tsuna gazed on. Almost as if on cue, Mukuro drummed his fingers on his knees, wiggling his eyebrows invitingly at Tsuna. "I allow you to sit on my lap, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Even if the brunet wanted to refuse, he couldn't. After a moment's struggle, the smaller male was propped awkwardly on Mukuro's lap. Placing his hands between his knees self-consciously, he tried to _not _think about the slender arms wrapped around his middle. Burning with shame, he resorted in keeping his eyes on the ground. Noticing the younger's discomfort, Mukuro whispered in Tsuna's ear, "It's okay. The night's almost over."

_What was _that _supposed to mean?_

"Kyoya! You have to do your job. You can't just stay in that room forever, you know." Tsuna craned his neck around to see Dino knocking on a door. Said door received a sharp jab from the other side. Dino caught the brunet's eyes and he grinned wistfully. "You've _got _to come out."

"VOOOOOOOOOOOI! Shut up, idiot! You're making a racket. If he wants to stay in there, let him stay in there."

Dino ignored the loud silver-haired male and rapped on the door again. Tsuna _just _noticed what was in his hands. Mukuro pressed his face into the brunet's back, smirking against the warm fabric. "Kinky. I wonder what he's going to do with that whip."

"Ushishishi~," Bel snickered, absentmindedly tousling his hair as he glanced over to Dino's direction. Said blond was not in a certain boss's office tonight since Xanxus was busy and 'could not deal with insufferable scum at the moment'. Bel knew he was going to have to figure out a way later to stay late after hours. "Torturing the other into submission, maybe?"

"Dino wouldn't do that, Bel-senpai," Fran piped up, "He's not as sadistic as you, you kn—please don't hit me."

"Shishishi, I wouldn't waste time hitting peasants like you." Bel flicked something out from underneath his black jacket and Tsuna gaped at him, terrified. _KNIVES?! IS THAT EVEN LEGAL?_

"Oya, put those away before Xanxus-chan comes out again and sees you with them." Mukuro thought about it again, then took it back. "Never mind. You _want _that to happen."

"Ouch. Stop _poking _me with those, stupid-senpai."

Trying to ignore the bickering two, Tsuna heard another loud knock from Hibari, but Dino wasn't giving up _that _easily. "He's not really planning to do anything to Hibari-senpai, is he?" Tsuna asked, brown eyes visibly widening in fear for – actually, he didn't really know who he should fear for. The way that Dino was always after this one man, it made Tsuna wonder if anything was happening between them. "Is Dino…? Are they…?"

Mukuro understood immediately, but all he did was give Tsuna a beguiling smirk that made shivers run up and down the latter's spine like a finger that had just been dipped in sub degree temperature water. "They might as well be. Kyoya-chan is just too embarrassed to admit anything though, I believe."

After a good full minute, Tsuna saw the door creak open a little. An aggravated Hibari poked his head out and he shot daggers at Dino, oblivious to the rope-like whip in the Italian's hands. "I hate crowds. Leave me alone, herbivore." Swiftly, Dino slipped his hand in, sacrificing a few fingers in order to keep the door from clicking shut again. Hibari's dark eyes flashed perilously. "What are you—"

Swinging the door open, Dino cleverly wrapped the whip around Hibari's slender, well-built frame, much to the latter's fury. He tried wriggling out at first, stomping once on Dino's foot, but his arms were stuck to his sides like magnets. Baring his teeth in a menacing snarl, he glared at Dino, livid. "You must really want to die."

"Aha, cut me some slack, Kyoya," Dino tugged at the whip, causing Hibari to be jostled forward unwillingly. There was a bit of pain streaked on the blond's face from the earlier stamping of the foot. "I just wanted to see you. You shouldn't hide all the time."

"I will bite you to death for using such an underhanded method to catch me." Though even while he was muttering this, Dino wrapped his sturdy arms around Hibari's body and pulled him flush into an affectionate hug. The host had to turn his head to the side, stubbornly avoiding all eyes. "And for showing such repulsive open affection for me," he added. "Remove this filthy toy."

Dino ignored him, waving to Mukuro triumphantly. "Look who's out of the room!"

"Well done." The man smiled, tapping his hands together lightly in a silent clap, vaguely amused by the enthusiasm of the blond Italian. "You know, the night's nearly over. You should find quicker methods, I think, next time."

"Stay out of this," Hibari snapped indignantly.

With his arms stuck and his body trapped between the wall and Dino, Hibari had nowhere to go. Dino pulled a lighthearted grin as one hand started to slide around the other's waist. Hibari's eyes instantaneously narrowed. "What are you doing, herbi—pervert."

"Did I ever show you how cute my little Kyoya can look?" Dino asked the crowd. The girls straightened up in their seats, eager to see some action for the night. Tsuna had a feeling that maybe these roles were switched. Maybe the blond should be the host, and that Hibari should be the customer. Getting enough of an answer from the women, Dino smiled good-naturedly. "I hope you won't hate me for this, Kyoya."

An icy smirk was slowly lifting the black-haired male's lips. "You're dead." No sooner than when these words were spoken, Dino pressed his face against the crook of Hibari's neck, breathing in the faint smell of cologne that the man was wearing. Hibari's face remained impassive, as if he was already expecting this. Mukuro chuckled inwardly; he knew Dino was trying to get _something _out of Kyoya by attacking his sensitive spot first. So far, it wasn't working. Hibari had been prepared for this. Then again, Dino always had a way to work around such obstacles.

_Why am I watching this in the first place? _Tsuna thought miserably, turning his attention back to the ground. Everyone else had their eyes glued to the scene in front of them. Mukuro silently laughed to himself, "Kufufu, Dino, try his ear."

_…and how does he know this? _Tsuna wondered suspiciously. No, he did _not _feel jealous.

Dino didn't take a second glance back, but he grinned thankfully and Hibari threw Mukuro a loathsome glare. The look had completely disappeared, though, when the blond trailed his tongue along the outer shell of the host's ear. Hibari's lips tightened, but the moment Dino started nibbling gently on his ear, his knees started to weaken. It was only because of Dino's arm around him and the wall behind him that he did not stagger. Heat rose in the man's face and he growled, his breathing erratic, "That's enough."

The whip around Hibari loosened and it slowly fell down. Dino pulled back, grinning from ear to ear. "How cute, Kyoy—oof." He stumbled back as the latter retracted his elbow, after having to jab the blond in the stomach. Flushed with a healthy rosy colour, Hibari leaned back against the wall, positively glowering at the man. Dino rubbed his stomach, grinning longingly at the smaller. "Ouch."

"That's what you get. Touch me again and I'll bite you to death." And with that, he started to stalk off in the opposite direction.

"Eh? A-ah, wait, Kyoya, I'll ride you hom—I mean, I'll give you a ride home."

"I decline."

It was then at that moment that Tsuna realized that Bel, Fran, and all the girls around them had left. Where did they – oh, the dance floor. One of the girls had politely spoken up and asked Bel if he would like to dance with her before she left. Mukuro noticed that the blond would have rejected it right away, but since he _was _a host, he had no choice but to dance. Fran had quietly crept away so he would not have to humiliate himself a second time that week.

Why oh why was it that Mukuro was always left with him in the end? Fate was setting them up. Tsuna could feel the blood pounding in his ears when Mukuro pressed his lips against the base of Tsuna's neck. Jumping out from the man's lap, he nearly stumbled as he tried making his way towards Gokudera. "I think I have to go now. Um, sorry, Mukuro-san."

The man's smile did not falter, which was a little unnerving. Backing up, Tsuna apologized silently to Mukuro and to the person he had crashed into. Tripping over air to get to his silver-headed friend, he tapped the man on the shoulder. "Gokudera-kun? Let's go home." When he got no response from the man who had his head buried in his arms, he squinted at him, concerned. "Gokudera-kun?"

"He's sleeping, I think," the blond bartender volunteered. "Are you Jyuudaime or whoever he kept talking about?"

"Hiii? Y-yes, that's me."

"He doesn't shut up when he's drunk."

"He's drunk?!" Tsuna shook Gokudera's shoulder, eager to get an answer from his friend. Was he really _that _depressed? All he got were some incoherent mumbles from the silveret. Mukuro was by his side the next instant.

"It looks like Tsunayoshi's puppy-chan will not be able to drive you home. He's incapable of driving himself home as well."

Tsuna started to panic, and his palms started to perspire from anxiousness. "What am I going to do? How am I going to get home? I can't walk home when it's this late at night–" He didn't dare say that he was afraid of the dark, though he was sure that Mukuro already knew that.

The navy-haired man exchanged knowing glances with Gamma. The blond immediately got the message and he rolled his dark eyes, leaning forward slightly. "Don't tell me. You want me to bring the brat to my place."

"You read my mind," said Mukuro smoothly.

_Brat equals Gokudera-kun? _Tsuna thought at the back of his head. He wanted to open his mouth and ask where _he _was going to stay, but Mukuro was already ready to answer that particular question. "I'll have to tell Xanxus to excuse us for the night. He won't be happy that we have to leave before twelve, but what can we do? In the meantime, Tsunayoshi-kun will have to sleep upstairs in my room, since all other rooms are occupied tonight."

_"HIII?!"_

* * *

"A-are you sure this is okay, Mukuro-san?" Tsuna wanted to bite down on his tongue for saying such thing. They had to all give Gamma a hand in getting Gokudera into his car, but after constant struggling, they had managed in the end. Tsuna knew that he should have insisted that the two of them stay together, since Gokudera was going to have a fit the next morning when he wakes up not knowing where he was. Of course it was okay with the perverted man. Was it really okay for _him _to be sleeping here. In the same room. On the same bed. Because coincidentally, there was only one bed in the room as well and Mukuro would definitely not allow his favourite brunet to sleep on the ground. Tsuna grimaced at the thought; he flailed around in his sleep a lot, so if Mukuro ended up on the ground the next morning…well, that was not his fault.

Tsuna frowned, realizing something. "I don't have anything to change int—" _Fwump. _A baggy white t-shirt landed on top of the fluffy brown hair and Tsuna quickly pulled it down. _Fwump. _And a pair of shorts. Mukuro had just come out of the bathroom, similar wear, but instead of shorts, he had just his boxers. Tsuna gaped at him, but the other shrugged gracefully.

"I usually sleep with no shirt on, but I'd rather not scare you on your first night here. It gets hot in this room at night, though. Kufufu~"

"…How considerate of you, Mukuro-san," Tsuna murmured, slipping off his pants behind the bed where Mukuro would not be able to see him. Lucky for him, the elder did not try to peek. As he unbuttoned his dress-shirt and yanked it off, he could almost sense Mukuro's perverted fingers itching to touch him. He hastily punched his arms through the sleeves of Mukuro's white shirt and turned around, smiling nervously. "Thank you for letting me stay the night."

He received a silent nod and a notorious smirk from the other, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed. Tsuna knelt on the side, warily eying the man. 'I would also appreciate it if you didn't try anything with me during the night, Mukuro-san' was what he wanted to say, but for some reason, he couldn't get the words out. He ended up blushing, tucking himself into the blankets. "I'm tired. Good night, Mukuro-san."

"Sweet dreams, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsuna had his back facing the other, but he felt he blankets shift as Mukuro slid into bed with him. He knew he shouldn't feel nervous. After all, they weren't sleeping _that _close together, they weren't naked…and they were wearing clothes…wait, that meant the same thing. Tsuna buried his nose into the blankets, tensing every time Mukuro shifted.

It wasn't long until the small brunet was breathing evenly, chest rising up and down from gentle sleep. Mukuro turned onto his side, sighing heavily. He couldn't sleep. It was just unbearably hot in the room, and the vulnerable person beside him wasn't helping the matter at all. Sitting up and doing his best not to stir Tsuna, he stripped himself of his shirt, forgetting his unsaid promise of not doing so. Feeling vaguely cooler, he rested his head back into the pillow, his eyes on Tsuna's small back.

So…_tempting_…

Tsuna just resembled an overgrown cuddle-bear at that moment, and Mukuro couldn't help it. He always _did _have a fetish for toys. Shuffling closer towards the younger male, he let his arm fall across Tsuna's slim waist, hugging the man around the middle. Tsuna let out an adorable little noise that may have been close to a sleepy groan, but he didn't awaken. If he did, he would have screamed in alarm. Mukuro smirked in the dark, satisfied. He knew he was going to pay once the sun rose the next morning, but for now, he didn't mind. There might not be another time like this one.

And so there they slept…with nothing between them but the soft fabric of Mukuro's navy boxers and the clothing on Tsuna's back. Mukuro smirked in his sleep; _I'll have to get rid of those next time. Kufufu~_

* * *

Self Proclaimed: Phew. I phail at trying to update these things. Now I must go ahead and update my other KHR and KH stories. Woe is me. Hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway, lovelies~. Date next. And then...I may have run out of ideas, but I'll think of some soon. Happy vs. Sad Ending. Most likely happy, but remember, Muku's a criminal ~ Anywai, I will think of something.

What to do, what to do. Did I mention I also fail at writing dates? I'VE NEVER BEEN ON ONE, LOLOLOLOL. ;_; I'm sad.

I know you'd all like it if you woke up the next morning to see a half-naked Mukuro next to you, but Tsuna doesn't. ...OR DOES HE?! Omnomnom. I like my NightSmexy Gamma59. DON'T JUDGE ME. ;D

I'm out. See you when I see you~ ...when I update ! I am still painting flowers for youuu, fanfiction. Pffft. LOVE!


	5. A Day To Remember

**Summary:** A bored drawl was evident in the waiter's deep voice as he handed Tsuna a menu, "My name is Rokudo Mukuro, and, no, my good looks are not an illusion. Now, what would you like to have?" AU!6927

**Spoilers: **A big bucket of cliché heading your way, seductive pineapples, toy pineapples, hints of NightSmex (if you count having lunch together -_-), neck biting in alleyways, suspicious tunas and flustered tunas. Always blushing, flustered Tunas. :3  
^ sounds like a poem. -.-

YES, KOZATO ENMA IS SORTA KINDA IN HERE. Even though he only got released. Don't you love that? :3 He's just an extra character, but he's so kyoot, I just had to add him. Ignore Mukuro's nickname for him. I couldn't think of anything. :3 /end rant.  
Enjoy~

* * *

Hell Café**  
**_It's a world of its own – Mukuro R. & Tsuna S._

_**Chapter five  
**_A Day To Remember_**  
**__he's all I want and more, I mean, damn, what's not to adore?_

When Tsuna blinked his eyes dazedly, he noticed how white the room was. It was giving off a pallid glow, and for a second, he thought he had died in his sleep and gone to heaven. He lifted his arms a little, bringing the blanket closer and burying his face into it. His body felt heavy, like something was anchoring him down onto the bed. He groaned; he hated when his stuffed animals fell on him when he was sleeping. He tried to remove what he thought was a big teddy-bear arm from his middle, but when his hands touched soft skin, he instantly bristled. Slowly turning onto his other side, he caught sight of the dark blue hair, undisturbed by sleep. Brown eyes widening, Tsuna tried to think, but his slow mind barely worked in the mornings.

_Who…is this? Mu…ku…? Somehow, that person looks really familiar…Why am I on his bed? Why is he half…half naked and-- MUKURO-SAN!_

Disorientated thoughts caused him to be rather forgetful_…WHAT IS HE DOING ON MY BED? _

"HIIIII!!"

Tsuna's foot instantly shot out and caught Mukuro quite accurately in the stomach. The man grunted, but he didn't hold on when he was knocked over the side of the bed. Any other man would have been infuriated for being kicked out of bed; it was _not _a nice wake-up call. However, since it was Tsuna, Mukuro decided that he would let this slide. Once. A somewhat strained, benign smile reached his lips and he raised a hand to his navy hair, combing it out though it was already flawless to begin with.

"You caught me by surprise, _Tsunayoshi-kun_."

Memories of the past night flooded back into the brunet's mind, but that didn't stop him from clutching the white blankets and holding them in front of his chest. He remembered that it was not _his _bed, but Mukuro's. He gawked at the older man, and then his eyes dropped down to Mukuro's toned chest. He swallowed.

"W-w-what are you doing? With no shirt on?" There were other questions like 'why am I sharing a bed with you' and 'how come you're not mad at me for kicking you out of bed', but he already had suspicions on those. Mukuro stood up, stretching his arms lazily over his head. Though he had just woken up, his eyes were as bright as ever.

When Mukuro didn't answer, Tsuna tensed on the bed, sitting up. His brown eyes widened considerably when he saw Mukuro sauntering closer to the bed. With one knee propped on the edge, he started to reach for the brunet. Or that's what it looked like anyway. Tsuna shuffled backwards, eager to keep away, but because the sheets were tangled between his legs, he was having a hard time getting out. He squeezed his eyes shut, an embarrassing squeak escaping his lips. "What are you doing? Hiii, Mukuro, don't—" Darkness passed over his eyelids and he realized that the half-naked man was looming over him. Fluttering his eyes open, he was met with the man's bare chest, and he saw that Mukuro was just reaching over him. The man took hold of the shirt that was draped over the side-table beside the brunet, smirking wittingly at Tsuna's jitteriness.

"Retrieving my shirt is all I am doing. Did you think I was going to do something to _you_?"

A thwack in the face with a pillow was the response Mukuro got.

As the navy-haired man languidly slid into his shirt, Tsuna heard a familiar ringtone from his jacket on the floor. Waiting for a few seconds, since he was too tired to get up from bed, he swung his legs over the side and planted his feet on the ground. Once he figured that he could stay balanced on his own two feet, he staggered clumsily over to his jacket. Not knowing how it ended up on the floor – oh, he must have dropped it there, being so tired and all – he picked it up and found his cell phone. He answered it – and immediately held it far from his ear when he heard Gokudera yelling into the speaker.

"JYUUDAIME! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"G-Gokudera-kun…"

"Jyuudaime! I'm at this – get away from me! Stay there! Right there – Jyuudaime? I'm at this house. I don't know where I am. Where are you—agh, my head…"

Tsuna could hear the bartender from the night before – Gamma – drawling contemptuously at his silver-head friend, "Look, brat. Running around the room is going to make your headache worse."

"I didn't ask for your input!" There was a groan from the other line and the brunet could just imagine his friend pressing his fingers into his temples. He couldn't blame him. He had drunk a whole lot yesterday night. Hastily trying to calm his silveret friend down, he spoke into the phone as clearly as he could.

"Gokudera-kun, I'm safe."

"Where are you?"

"I'm, um, I'm kind of in Mukuro's room and—"

"WHAT?!"

Tsuna knew he had said the wrong thing. As Gokudera spluttered insuperable nonsense, Mukuro lazily yawned into his hand as he took deep strides towards the younger. The latter felt the cell phone being tugged gently out of his grasp, and it was two seconds later that he heard Mukuro's sultry voice speaking to Gokudera. "Oya, you will not have to worry about Tsunayoshi-kun for the rest of the day. He'll be safe and sound…_with me._" He held the phone pleasantly from his ear, not at all disconcerted by Gokudera's obnoxiously loud voice complaining vigorously. "He's going on a date with me today, and you are not welcome to join us. Gamma will take good care of you. _Arrivaderci_, puppy-chan." And he hung up.

Tsuna's jaw dropped. Mukuro allowed a smirk to adorn his handsome face, and with his hand, he lightly traced his own smile as he observed the brunet's expression. "Kufufu, you look surprised."

"What date?" Tsuna asked stupidly.

"The date you promised me yesterday. Do you not remember, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

"I did no such thing…" His words faltered near the end as he _did _remember what he said. No, he said he was free today, and Mukuro immediately took that as an invitation to go on a date. He started to shake his head, but then he thought about it. He really _did _have nothing to do today. Gokudera was stuck at Gamma's house, and he was sure that the blond wasn't going to let the silveret run around with a hangover. Today was actually a nice day, with the sun peeping out through the thin, wispy clouds. It wasn't even cold today. He started a slow nod, rubbing his fluffy brown hair. "Actually, now that you…mention it, I do remember. A little."

"I'm still willing to go, if you are."

"I have work today—"

"Today is a Saturday. If I remember your schedule correctly, you are only working on Monday through Friday." Mukuro was sure that Tsuna would run out of excuses soon. If anything, he didn't even know if he liked the brunet that way. He just thought it would a little, well, fun. Exciting, even, to tease the younger into blushing. Tsuna was endearing when he blushed. Mukuro sat on the edge of the bed, and waited patiently for the other's response.

"Where would we go?" Tsuna asked, desperately trying to delay the process of going to the date. Mukuro didn't seem to mind the questions. As long as the brunet would agree in the end, he didn't care about how long it took – as long as it didn't take the whole day.

"Does the idea of a fair entice you?"

Tsuna blinked inquisitively. He hadn't gone to a fair since he was a teenager. The last time he had gone to something like a fair, he had to work at one of the booths and in the end, the money was stolen because he was being careless. He didn't remember too much of it, though, since he was beaten up pretty badly for chasing after the thieves. But a fair…and on a date with Mukuro? That might be a little different, and he couldn't help feeling a little eager.

"A fair might be nice."

Mukuro smirked again, his mind starting to scheme simple little plans. He pulled at the front of his black shirt, glancing down at the white skull on it. Perhaps he would wear his dark, army-brown jacket over it and his fitted jeans. "I suppose you'll have to wear what you wore yesterday, unless you would like me to bring someone up and have him get a few of his clothes for you."

"A customer?" Tsuna inquired curiously. He didn't think that would look too good, but Mukuro shook his head, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"Kufufu, of course not. That would be rude. He works here on the weekends, and sometimes he takes the night shift when someone's busy. He usually just stays in his room though – he is a little bit anti-social. He sleeps in the next room, since, like me, he has nowhere to go. I will find him. Wait here patiently." And he was out the door. Tsuna stood in his shorts, wriggling his toes as he waited. He looked down at his feet, biting down on his bottom lip. It was awkward, standing in the room alone. He didn't have to worry for long, though; Mukuro had stridden back into the room, but there was another person behind him.

The male was wearing the usual Hell Café uniform. He looked around the same age as Tsuna, but the brunet could already tell by one glance at his demeanor that he was a quiet person. With his dark, violet-red eyes void and his shoulders hunched slightly as he walked, the male shuffled behind Mukuro. He had a few band-aids on his face, like he had just recently gotten into a brawl. The navy-haired male started by saying, "Tsunayoshi needs clothes to go out on a date with me. Help him out, Koza-chan."

The man blinked once, silently, before flickering his gaze to Tsuna. His dark red hair shadowed his forehead but he didn't seem bothered by it. The male turned around as if to leave the room to either salvage his clothes for the brunet to wear or to just ignore Mukuro's request. However, before he could even step out of the room, Mukuro had placed his hand on the other's shoulder and steered him back towards Tsuna. "Koza-chan, introduce yourself." The order was a whisper.

The male didn't say anything. Tentatively, his lips parted and he said in a quiet voice, "I'm Kozato…Enma."

"Oya, Koza-chan, you're still so shy." The taller sighed, removing his hand from Kozato's shoulders. Patting it gently, he directed the demure male towards the door. "Find something flattering for my date to wear." When the other had left, almost as if in a slight daze, Mukuro smiled pleasantly at Tsuna. "He's so painfully quiet. No wonder the customers tease him."

_He reminds me of me, _Tsuna couldn't help but think. Soon, Tsuna spotted the unkempt crimson-ish hair around the corner; Kozato was dragging his feet back towards the room, outfits in his arms. Wordlessly, he dropped them on the bed. A steel-gray shirt was on top of the pile, and since he wasn't really in the mood of being picky with clothes, Tsuna leaned over and took it from the heap. Kozato's eyes flashed at him for a second, but then he stepped back, dragging a dark indigo jacket along with him. He held it up at arm's length for Tsuna to take, which the brunet did after a hesitant second. Kozato's head bobbed when Mukuro tousled his hair in an appreciative manner.

"Thank you, Koza-chan. You may go."

Again, without a single word, Kozato Enma exited the room, leaving the sound of the scratchiness of his shoes as he plodded back downstairs. Mukuro had left the room as well, giving Tsuna the wanted privacy of changing alone without anyone watching him with mismatched, stoic eyes. The shirt fit him perfectly, and it even smelled kind of nice. The jacket was a little big, so the sleeves fell over his hands a little. Tsuna picked out light olive cargo pants to match his sneakers – yes, because he accidentally wore sneakers to the night club yesterday.

"I'm…I'm done, Mukuro-san."

"Kufufu, let's get going, then. We have the whole day ahead of us."

* * *

Gamma stared at the man sitting on the chair in front of him. He had gotten the silveret the iced water that he had demanded for, and instead of handing the pillow over to him nicely, he had thrown it to spite him. Gokudera closed his eyes, his ankles crossed in front of him. Gamma could feel the heated aura around him, and he knew that the male was _not _happy. Positively livid, if one asked him.

"Your _Jyuudaime_ is in safe hands," Gamma said sarcastically.

Green eyes instantly snapped open and flashed angrily at the blond bartender. He looked like he was about to snarl a retort, but a wave of pain surged into his brain, causing him to throw his head back in exhaustion and exasperation. _No, he's not! _Gokudera's mind cried out. _He's in the hands of a potential rapist! _But he didn't say that aloud. He would only get laughed at; everything in those alluring steel eyes was mocking him. He was now certain that his long-time friend was going to be molested. No question about that now.

"What shall we do, then?"

"Don't think I'm going anywhere with _you_," Gokudera snapped viciously.

"Well, I'm certainly jaded right now, brat. I'm not sitting here the whole day to babysit you."

"Who needs babysitting?" The silveret shot daggers at the blond with his eyes.

Gamma glanced around the room, his forefinger pressing into his temple as he leaned on the armrest of his own chair. "Is there anyone else in this room besides you?"

"Shut up."

"Play a game of billiards with me," Gamma offered, motioning to the table in the center of the living room. His house was luxurious, and Gokudera was already getting a headache by peering up and around, and his hangover wasn't helping. The silver-haired man closed his eyes again, scowling.

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"If you do," Gamma challenged, "I'll let you follow your friend around without stopping you. How's that?" He knew that Mukuro would probably murder him afterwards if he let that happen, but he was confident in his skills. He would definitely not let this other man win. Still, it was amusing to see how attached he was to his brunet friend. At the mention of this, Gokudera sat up in his seat, ignoring the flourish of pain shooting up to his head.

"Really?"

"I don't lie."

Gokudera set aside the glass of water and stood up self-confidently. "Prepare to get your ass _kicked_."

* * *

"Whatever shall we do first?"

Tsuna glanced around the fair; it was loud, raucous, and noisy. All those words meant the same thing, but the colours were bright, the sun was shining, and it wasn't chilly at all. It brought a happy, child-like smile onto his face. He was an adult, and he had to remind himself that he was. Mukuro had his hands pushed into his jacket pockets, and though Tsuna was spinning on his heel, looking for something to do, those mismatched eyes kept a lock on the brunet. He decided that he liked it when Tsuna smiled, but not as much as he liked it when the latter blushed tremendously. It was just too cute.

"I'm going to try and win something," Tsuna finally said, having a lack of thought on what to do. He didn't want to seem too childish, so instead of running over to the stand, he strode over patiently. Mukuro trailed behind him, a pleased smile on his lips. Yes, his scheming mind was _always _plotting something, even if he seemed innocent about it. Luckily for him, his date was oblivious.

"Step right up!" A woman was waving her hands in front of a high striker. The aim of this game was to have the player ring the bell at the top of this four feet tower by hammering the lever with a heavy mallet. Tsuna couldn't even lift the hammer when he was in his teenager years – it was just way too heavy. The female in question had red hair, and her dark purple irises flashed when she caught sight of Mukuro. She instantly brightened. "Mukuro, is that you?"

"M.M?" Mukuro's voice was mellow, but there was a hint of a surprise in there.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in—" She instantly shut her mouth after Mukuro's face darkened. She quickly covered it up with a smile, and M.M wasted no time in pushing Tsuna out of the way before squeezing her way between Mukuro and the brunet.

"I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing here?"

"I'm trying to earn money." M.M did a little flip with her hair, though it was already shorter than her shoulders. "I just really need money right now, so here I am~" She finally sent a look that was simply dripping with contempt towards Tsuna's direction; the brunet had suddenly become very interested in his jacket zipper. He refused to glance up. "Who is this?"

"I'm on a date, M.M. Tsunayoshi-kun wants to try this out."

"_What?_" M.M's expression cleared instantly; she couldn't refuse someone a play, but she was torn between asking Mukuro more questions about his date and earning a little more money. She glared at Tsuna, as if whatever got her into a bad mood was entirely his fault. "Alright, fine. If he can lift it up, that is." She motioned towards the hammer, stepping over to the side. She snapped impatiently before Tsuna could even move, "Well? Are you going to do it or not?"

"Go on."

"Eh? Mukuro-san, I can't do it. I can't even lift—" Tsuna's mouth shut when Mukuro guided his hand down his spine and gently gave him a little nudge towards the hammer. Pink in the face, the brunet stared at the mallet for a while before attempting to reach down to pick it up. His hands gripped the bottom, not knowing that it would only make the hammer seem even heavier. His slender frame heaved as he tried to lift it over his head, but it only jerked up by a few centimeters before unceremoniously crashing back down. How embarrassing. The redhead let loose a derisive laugh; Mukuro chuckled under his breath, and much to M.M's vexation, he trekked silently behind Tsuna and reached around to take hold of his hands.

"E-eh?"

"Tsunayoshi, you hold it like this." His hands snaked around and held onto Tsuna's distinctively shaking ones. He pushed one of the brunet's hands up the base of the hammer and – well, Tsuna's face was very red. He could feel Mukuro's hard chest pressing against his back and he could barely concentrate on the words being huskily whispered into his ear. Instructions, maybe? He couldn't tell. "Okay?"

"Okay," Tsuna's mouth moved before his mind could tell him what to say. Mukuro backed away slightly and watched.

How Tsuna managed to lift it up over his head was a wonder to him, and how he managed to get the lights halfway up the tower was also a miracle. This was the first time it even reached past the first bar. Tsuna glanced back at Mukuro and he couldn't help but let a sheepish smile take over his face. Mukuro really was his good luck charm…or something. M.M didn't look too pleased with this, but the navy-haired male was already saying, "I think he deserves a small prize, wouldn't you agree, M.M?"

Her voice was noticeably strained. "You're right." Reaching underneath the stand, she pulled out a stuffed animal. It was like she _knew _that Tsuna still had stuffed animals in his room. So what? They were cute. Except Tsuna never had a fruit as a stuffed animal.

"A pineapple?" Tsuna asked, reaching for it. M.M pulled it back at the last second to spite him and held it out for Mukuro to take. The eccentric man shook his head, a smirk on his lips, and pointed with a lithe finger in Tsuna's direction. Grudgingly, she gave it to him, and he whispered back a hushed 'thank-you'. She didn't answer him. Noticing the tension between them, Mukuro strode in between them and his fingers closed around Tsuna's skinny wrist.

"I'm afraid we must continue on. Good-bye, M.M."

The girl simply glared at Tsuna with malevolence, and the latter tried not to think too hard about it. He stayed close to Mukuro, clutching the pineapple toy. It was quite small, almost pocket-sized. He held it out. "Do you want it, Mukuro-san?"

"Now why would I want that?" Mukuro's voice shadowed a façade of conviviality.

"You helped me win it," the brunet answered honestly. Mukuro smiled, taking it and weighing it in his hands. Swiftly, he dropped it into Tsuna's – which was really Kozato's – jacket pocket and before the shorter could protest, he said,

"Keep it to remember this day." _And me._

"And you." Tsuna's eyes widened, not believing that he actually said that out loud. He rushed forwards, his eyes darting left and right to see what else they could do. He hadn't been to a fair in so long and he really just wanted to try everything out. How much time did they have left? Mukuro quietly walked behind him, but Tsuna had already sprinted up ahead towards the Spinning Teacups. Mukuro raised a perfectly skeptic eyebrow.

"I don't play these games, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"Just this once?"

Mukuro stayed silent, his head cocked to the side as he considered his options. Tsuna waited with his hands behind his back, his eyes mutely imploring Mukuro to at least sit in the tea cup with him while he spun it. The gears inside Mukuro's head started to click against each other again as he started adding the puzzle pieces together. A dizzy Tsuna meant that he would be unsteady on his feet, which would mean that _someone _would have to stick close and support him. A small smirk flitted across the man's lips. "Alright. Just this once."

He allowed himself to be led by the wrist. Tsuna chose a lilac coloured tea cup, and Mukuro waited for the brunet to sit inside first before walking in beside him. Placing his feet on the seat across from him, he let his arm dangle out the edge of the cup – and promptly rolled his eyes when the announcer told everyone to keep their hands inside their cups. He placed them on the wheel in front of him.

"I hope you won't get dizzy, Mukuro-san."

"Kufufu, never."

The warning was rather funny, since in the end, Tsuna was the one who couldn't get out of the teacup properly. While Mukuro sat with his eyes closed and arms crossed, Tsuna was frantically spinning the wheel. To the brunet, it looked like it was going at lightning speed, but Mukuro's sight wasn't the slightest bit blurred or obscured. All went as planned. As Mukuro stepped out of the teacup, he murmured, "Watch your step, Tsun—"

The brunet had toppled forwards, his arms grabbing blindly for the space he thought Mukuro was in. Luckily for him, the older male caught him before he could crash into someone. "I'm alright, I'm alright," Tsuna mumbled into Mukuro's arm. The man steadied himself, and Mukuro reluctantly let go of him. Tsuna stumbled towards the vague direction of the exit, nearly knocking someone over in the process. The taller shook his head side to side, a smile gracing his face; Tsuna was definitely an interesting person to be around.

"Watch where you're going!"

Tsuna held his head, blinking at the burly man in front of him. Mukuro sighed, thinking, _people these days…_ A simple bump to the arm would send them in a frenzy. Tsuna stepped back as the other approached the two. "Is something the matter?" he asked in a smooth voice. The offender sent Mukuro one quick glance, looked him up and down, before curling his lip into a snarl. He opened his mouth to say something, but then he caught sight of Mukuro's tantalizing, different-coloured eyes and the words got caught in his throat. Mukuro smirked, though a little demoralized. Did the man recognize him? "Let's go, Tsunayoshi-kun."

His hand reached for Tsuna's and as soon as he got a good grip, he led the confused brunet away from the quickly-forming horde. "You sure are a magnet for trouble."

"I lost you for a second," Tsuna protested. He was about to interject something else as well, something about Mukuro not being with him like he should be since he was the one who had asked him out on this date, when Mukuro interlaced his long fingers with Tsuna's small hand. The brunet glanced down, eyes wide and mouth agape. The man snickered not unkindly at Tsuna's considerably shocked expression.

"Hold onto my hand, then, and you won't get lost."

Tsuna brought his unoccupied hand to his mouth, tilting his head away and averting his gaze. A tinge of pink coloured his pale cheeks, but Mukuro didn't seem to notice. And if he did, he was doing quite a good job at pretending that he didn't. With his free hand stowed into his pocket, he started to walk ahead. Tsuna's hand felt warm in Mukuro's and a serene smiled passed his lips.

"Is this okay?"

"Yes," was the man's immediate answer. It was just one word, but it got Tsuna's heart pumping rapidly against his ribcage. Mukuro wasn't so bad at all. And for once in his life, Tsuna didn't feel so incompetent and worthless.

* * *

"I have a feeling that you lost on purpose."

Gokudera threw down his stick in frustration, fuming. "What makes you say that?"

"You shot the ball in the direction where there was nothing." Gamma sat down on the armchair, resting his back and placing the cue stick on the ground beside him. "I thought you wanted to stalk your friend."

"I did not want to _stalk _Jyuudaime," Gokudera retorted back testily. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't so sure about invading his friend's privacy. The last time he had asked Tsuna about Mukuro, the brunet had acted a little too flustered to say that he didn't like the man at all. Maybe it was better that he didn't see what they were doing. He leaned over the pool table, knocking his forehead against the edge. "…I changed my mind."

No one said anything. Knowing that it was better to just drop the subject, Gamma huffed through his nose, straightening back up. "You know, you're not too bad, _brat_." Gokudera didn't know what he was directing that comment to: his person in general, or the fact that he was decent when playing pool. The blond picked up the stick and strode back towards the table, tapping the back of the silveret's head. "Next winner treats us to lunch. I hope you have money on you."

Gokudera's eye twitched. Just when he thought that the bartender wasn't _so _bad. Oh, the bastard was _so _going down this time.

* * *

"Ferris wheel?"

The sky was already painted with a dark shade of black, and the only thing lighting up the fair was the bright lights decorating around the stands, and the stars and moon in the sky. Mukuro let go of the other's hand to allow his fingers to push his long, navy bangs out of his eyes. "Yes, Tsunayoshi-kun. _Ferris wheel._"

"Okay," Tsuna agreed, slightly puzzled. Little did he know that Mukuro's mind was plotting cliché scenes. Painfully cliché ideas, but it was okay. The brunet was still clueless. Mukuro dropped a few coins into the man's hands and gentlemanly waved his hand to let Tsuna step in first. The younger did so, blinking rapidly. Already, he was missing the feel of his hand being in the other's. The two sat beside each other, jolting forwards when the Ferris Wheel started moving again.

Tsuna placed his hands between his knees. For some reason, his knees would not stop shaking, and he figured that if he didn't place anything between them, they would start knocking against each other. Suddenly feeling awkward about the silence between them, he shuffled towards the side. Mukuro's chin was propped on his fist, and the man was gazing ahead at the city lights. It was a pretty sight, here at night. Tsuna wondered what it would look like at the very top.

"Have you ever kissed a man, Tsunayoshi?"

What a strange question. Tsuna nearly jumped out of his seat in shock when he heard. "A boy?" he stammered, unsure of what to think of the question. What was this implying? A flood of questions poured into the brunet's muddled mind and he started to shrink back, wishing that he could just disappear inside the Ferris Wheel cart's walls. "N-no, I haven't." _I haven't even kissed a _girl. Just then, he realized how pathetic it was. Already in his twenties and he's never been kissed. His shoulders sagged at the depressing thought.

Mukuro smiled amiably, still not facing Tsuna, but rather at the colourfully painted cart in front of them. "Kufufu, I see." His arm reached behind Tsuna's back, languidly resting it on the backrest. Through Tsuna's inexperienced and impractical mind, he knew that Mukuro was thinking of doing something. The night air felt cool against their cheeks, but Mukuro wasn't cold at all.

It had been a while since he had found someone this fascinating. He wasn't positive whether or not he liked the slender brunet or not, but he was sure that it was starting to lead there soon. It wasn't often that he actually looked forward into the day to see someone. That someone being Tsuna. It was adorable how red those cheeks got whenever he did something unexpected, and Mukuro found that whenever Tsuna was speaking, he would end up watching those unintentionally inviting lips. Never had he met someone that was so fun to tease. Watching him wasn't enough now; Mukuro wanted to be close to Tsuna.

The Ferris Wheel slowly geared its way to the top, and Tsuna happily pointed in front of him, ignoring the fact that Mukuro was discreetly shuffling closer towards him. "Isn't it pretty?"

The Hell Café night host followed the latter's gaze. "Yes," he said simply. "Especially here." He leaned closer and pointed.

Tsuna quickly turned his head. "Where?" An embarrassing squeak escaped his lips when he realized how close Mukuro was to his face. His mismatched eyes were bright in the moonlight, and Tsuna's irises were impossibly wide from alarm. "E-eh? Mukuro-san…?" His own head inched back as Mukuro advanced, and as soon as he was a mere millimeter away from him, Tsuna angled his head away and felt soft lips pressing against his cheek.

Tsuna blushed. It was automatic.

"_Siete __adorabile, Tsunayoshi-kun__."_

And the brunet had no idea what Mukuro just said. The next second, the blue-haired man had leaned back and rested his arm across Tsuna's shoulders as if nothing had happened. Tsuna narrowed his eyes, staring at nothing in particular. It took a while for his mind to realize what had just happened.

"HIII, Mukuro-san, did you just--?!"

"Kufufu, you really _are _clueless."

"…th-that's not really…ah, you surprised me, that's all."

It was another deadening silence between them as they waited for their cart to reach the ground again. Mukuro didn't try anything seductive for the rest of the day. At the fair, at least.

* * *

"Thank you for walking me home, Mukuro-san."

Only the soft pattering of footsteps could be heard at this time of night. The streets were dimly lit with a soft yellow glow, and now it was getting faintly cooler. Tsuna hid a small shiver as he rubbed his arms; his hand hadn't been held after the Ferris Wheel ride. He felt that it would have made things a little bit more discomfited, but Mukuro didn't seem the least bit fazed. Of course he wasn't! He was the one who initiated the kiss on the cheek! Or maybe it was supposed to be for his lips but Tsuna had moved out of the way in time. The brunet had been seizing tufts of his chestnut hair before he realized it, and he was soon earning a pointed stare from Mukuro.

"What are you doing?"

"N-Nothing."

Ahead of them, barely audible murmurs could be heard, and Tsuna glanced up to see two policemen in front. They were in deep conversation, seemingly talking fast-paced about the news today. Tsuna didn't think too much of it, but he sensed Mukuro going abruptly rigid. Those mesmerizing blue and red eyes suddenly flashed and together, they stopped walking. The policemen didn't seem to notice them yet.

"What's wrong?"

The taller didn't answer. Instead, he swiftly led Tsuna over to the side, into the dark alleyway. The pathway of this empty space was weakly lit, so Tsuna could still make out the silhouette of Mukuro's slim figure. Fingers hooked at his shoulder and the brunet was forced to look at the other in the eyes. The male's voice was nothing short of seductive when he purred into Tsuna's ear, "Forgive me." Before he could ask what on earth he could mean, Mukuro buried his nose into the crook of Tsuna's neck, inhaling his scent.

By doing this, Mukuro knew that the policemen would not be able to see his face. He had planned on not doing anything serious to Tsuna, but just hiding like this would arouse suspicions from the brunet, and he didn't want that. And he was just _so close _to the brunet – it was intoxicating. He figured that he was going to have to do something, even if Tsuna was going to reproach him for this later. Smirking against the soft skin of Tsuna's throat, he brushed his lips deftly over the susceptible flesh, trailing butterfly kisses up.

Tsuna gasped, not from the abrupt action, but from being ticklish. He squirmed a little in Mukuro's grasp, but it only caused the older to push him up against the wall. The voices of the policemen were coming closer – and he still had no clue why Mukuro was suddenly acting like this. His hand reached up and held onto the taller male's shoulder, angling his neck so that he could see the shadows of the men approaching.

"So did you hear about that prison break a month ago?"

"_Dio mio, _yes. It was a month ago. Of course I did."

Mukuro stiffened, but he continued to kiss at Tsuna's neck. Soft nibbles caused the brunet to wince and make a slight noise of bewilderment. It was then that they attracted attention. The men stopped talking and one of them peered into the alleyway out of curiosity. When they saw the couple and what they _thought _they were doing, the policeman pulled back, reddening at the fact that he had to see such a thing.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Just…a couple."

The two strode off, one more being a little embarrassed. They couldn't carry on their conversation properly, as the one who had seen Tsuna and Mukuro's body was undeniably flustered. It was a while later that Tsuna realized he was being bitten on the neck, and that Mukuro's tongue was teasing the abused skin.

"Mu-Mukuro-san?"

"_Yes?" _It was no louder than a hum of a whisper.

"…What exactly…are you doing?"

The navy hair tickled the side of Tsuna's face and he pulled back slightly. Mukuro stopped what he was doing, but not before he ghosted his lips over Tsuna's cheek and whispered into the brunet's ear, "Nothing." That was not the answer that Tsuna was expecting and he pushed the other gently away, nonetheless glaring at him half-heartedly.

"That was _not_ nothing."

Mukuro's eyes flickered towards the hickey on Tsuna's neck, but knowing that the brunet would probably freak out over it, he decided not to say anything. For now. He brushed a strand of brown hair from the other's face, his eyes twinkling playfully. "I could not help myself. Tsunayoshi-kun was just looking so…" A sweep of a finger at the side of his face sent shivers coursing through his small frame. "_delectable._"

That was the second time Tsuna had blushed that day. No sooner had they started walking again, they were at Tsuna's apartment. He remembered that his clothes were still in Mukuro's room, but he supposed he would have to get them back on Monday, when he had to go back to work. And he would also have to return these borrowed clothes to the redhead – he had forgotten his name. Tsuna tilted his head to the side, and everyone but he would know that he looked absolutely adorable when he did that.

"Arigatou…for today, Mukuro-san."

A benign, not to mention dazzling, smirk crossed those pale lips. "You're welcome."

The words flew out of Tsuna's mouth before he could tell it to shut up. "A-Another date would be nice." For the second time that day, he clasped his hands to his mouth, eyes widening in horror. Mukuro raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, his hands returning to his pockets.

"How _bold_, Tsunayoshi." But when he didn't answer yes or no, Tsuna waited. Mukuro's eerie orbs gleamed in the pallid light mischievously. "I suppose you'll have to earn another one."

"Hiiii?! But—"

"Good night."

Adroitly catching Tsuna off guard again, the brunet was left open-mouthed when Mukuro leaned in to seal his words with a good night kiss on the cheek. Knowing full well that the brunet was not ready for any mouth-to-mouth contact, he settled for the second choice. He contented himself by watching Tsuna's face turning a delicate shade of pink and without further ado, he turned around on his heel and started back to the café. Tsuna might or might not have known, but Mukuro would not object to another date like this one. All Tsuna knew was that Mukuro was definitely hiding something from him, and he was going to have to find out what.

* * *

**A/N:** Ooh, forgive me overdue-ness. ;3 Puahaha. At least the date is done. Now I gotta figure out what else to do. More hectic nightshifts. Blehh. I will update as soon as I can. I wish I could just kick school out of the way, but but but, only two days of school next week because of Lit Test, Easter Monday, and Medieval Times school trip. Hellyeaah. ;3 HOPE YOU ENJOYED, YESH?

See you when I update ~ ;D  
-Self-Proclaimed.

P.S. Wow. 7k words. 8D Yaaay!


	6. The Art of Sharing Lovers

**Summary:** A bored drawl was evident in the waiter's deep voice as he handed Tsuna a menu, "My name is Rokudo Mukuro, and, no, my good looks are not an illusion. Now, what would you like to have?" AU!6927

**Spoilers: **The title explains everything. And you'll be like "Wtf, the author got confused and mixed up the pairings." ~ The workings of a green-eyed monster named Jealousy, and Lussuria. He gets his own warning. SD1800, and no, it is not the name of a machine. I just feel evil today.

I don't know where I was going with this chapter, originally. Oh well~ ;D Temp, no perm.

* * *

Hell Café**  
**_It's a world of its own – Mukuro R. & Tsuna S._

**_Chapter six  
_**The Art of Sharing Lovers**_  
_**_I'm not afraid; I loved something once_

"I will be your waiter for today. My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, and I…" the brunet trailed off in his sentence, ignoring the patient stare his customer was giving him. What could he say about himself? Another week had passed, and for the whole seven days, he had not seen Mukuro. The strange man had not lurked the dayshift, and Tsuna had not been brave enough to venture downstairs for another visit. It was weird to think this, but Tsuna was starting to…_miss _Mukuro. It was almost an unbearable feeling. He refocused his gaze on the customer at hand, who was kindly still waiting for him to finish his sentence; but Tsuna couldn't get Mukuro off of his mind. "And I have a collection of stuffed animals at home. My favourite one is a pineapple." He handed the woman a menu, and walked off in a muddled daze.

It was times like this when he wished he could talk to Gokudera, but his green-eyed friend was always being 'stolen' out of the house by a certain bartender from the nightshift, and even though Gokudera complained abundantly about the blond and how 'annoying' he was, Tsuna could tell he was having fun, and he wasn't about to deprive his friend of this newfound happiness. He would have to deal with this problem by himself, this time.

Tsuna was so out of it that he even collided into Dino's hard chest. The blond managed to stay on his feet, using the counter for support, but he grinned when Tsuna started apologizing profusely. "It's okay, it's okay. Everyone has their off days." Dino glanced over the other man's spikes of brown hair to see if he had more customers to attend to, but when he found none, he tilted his head at Tsuna. "What's up, little bro?"

"Eh?"

"You look really down." Dino seemed worried, chocolate-brown eyes warily watching Tsuna's reaction. "Yamamoto and I have noticed – ever since two days ago, you've been looking a little upset. Is something bothering you?"

Tsuna didn't even take a second to think about it; he shook his head. If anything, he didn't want his friends worried about him. If Gokudera found out he was upset over something, the fussing over him would be more extravagant. The brunet continued to shake his head, a pained sort of smile spreading on his lips. "Not…not particularly, no."

Dino sent him a skeptical look, attempting to fix the puzzle pieces together because, obviously, something was not right. Tsuna knew what he was trying to do, and he spun on his heel, not wanting the blond to find any hints in his eyes. His brown irises found the staircase which led upstairs, and he found that his heart was rapidly weighed down with indefinable sadness. Would Mukuro be upstairs?

"Ah, Chrome, welcome back!"

Kyoko's cheerful voice drifted into Tsuna's ear and despite himself, he turned around to see the girl at the door. Then he immediately wished he hadn't. With blue hair flowing down to her waist and an eye-patch over her right eye, Chrome – this _girl _– reminded Tsuna painfully of the man he wished to see. Momentarily, he realized what he was thinking, and his hands clasped strands of brown hair.

_HIIII! Stop it! I don't like him that way! No! _

As his mind fought with his heart, Tsuna's feet involuntarily stomped on the floor and he whirled around on his feet, only to meet the bewildered stare of his fellow waiters. Even Lambo had both eyes open in shock. Freezing on the spot, Tsuna immediately brought his hands to his side, allowing a nervous laugh through his mouth. "What?"

Yamamoto exchanged expressions with Dino as the female Mukuro-lookalike started to apologize to her co-workers, "I'm sorry I haven't been to work. I haven't been well."

"Ah, that's okay, Chrome. Mukuro-san has been _EXTREMELY_ filling in for you for a couple of days."

At the sound of his name, Tsuna resisted the strong urge to glance back at the stairs to see if the man had come down to eat. Of course he wouldn't. He was probably sleeping, exhausted from last night's shift. This was getting ridiculous; Tsuna just couldn't get his mind off the navy-haired male, and he had a feeling that he was going to go insane if he lived another day without seeing him.

His friends seemed to be getting the same notion. Slyly, Dino yanked on his coffee-coloured cap, pulling it so that it covered his forehead, before slinging his arm over Tsuna. The brunet seemed surprised by this sudden action, but he didn't question it. He decided that he liked the half-hug. He just wanted someone close to him, though Dino seemed to be missing some of the warmth that Mukuro emitted. Or maybe it was just Tsuna.

"We're going downstairs again after work," Dino piped up, sending Yamamoto a knowing look. "You should come with us, Tsuna. The nightshift workers are missing you."

"Missing me?" Tsuna echoed doubtfully.

Dino gnawed on his bottom lip uneasily; sure, Bel had asked where the 'lost puppy' had been; Squalo was demanding where his 'boyfriend' was, even though the two of them knew that he had feelings for Kyoya; Byakuran had pleasantly touched on the subject of the brunet, but Mukuro had never said a word. The blond wondered if the other was doing it on purpose, perhaps to see if it would actually faze Tsuna. Well, the answer was as clear as ever now. Tsuna was, well, completely smitten. Dino nodded. "They miss you. They've been asking for you, so maybe you should come by for another visit."

Tsuna's shoulders drooped as if all the depressions of the world fell onto his back. "Maybe—" The rest of his sentence was cut off with a small shriek of alarm when Dino clasped a strong hand on his shoulder. "Dino-san!" Tsuna shook his head left to right; slowly at first from hesitance, but the determined gleam in his brown eyes shone through. "I don't want to."

_I'm scared of what will happen if I see Mukuro-san… _

_…what if I do like him?!_

While the war of 'Do I or Don't I' ensued inside Tsuna's befuddled brain, everyone else could see that the man was just in denial. It wasn't hard to see the subtle glimpses towards the staircase, whether they led up or down, because either one could lead to that seductively entrancing, blue-haired male. Dino pulled Yamamoto aside as Tsuna continued to rub his head in an endearing manner, turning his head side to side every so often, as if telling himself that he did _not _like the blunet that way.

"I think we have to get Tsuna down there. What do you think?" A mischievous glint appeared in Dino's deep chocolate eyes. Yamamoto raised an eyebrow, a slow grin spreading on his face. He folded his hands behind his head, leaning back against the counter in a leisurely style while shifting all of his weight onto his right leg.

"He's my friend, though. If he's not willing then—"

"Oh, come on. It'll be good for him. And plus…" Dino waved the worries out of the air. "It'll be fun~!"

At these words, Yamamoto paid very close attention. "What do you have in mind?" As Dino leaned in to whisper into the baseball player's ear, he strained to listen to the hushed voice. His eyes widened to disproportionate measures when Dino mentioned two words. "What do you mean invite the ni—" He stopped his sentence just in time to hear the rest of the plan. A chuckle of amusement bubbled up and through his mouth came the words, "Sounds like fun. Let's do it!"

And while roping Ryohei into the plan, the enthusiastic blond pumped his fist into the air and yelled out, unsurprisingly, "That's _EXTREEME!" _

* * *

"Tsuna-kun! Can you help Chrome wash the floors?"

"A-ah, alright." Tsuna placed the dirty plates by the counter, making sure they were balanced properly before picking up a grey mop leaning on the side of the café walls. Dragging it along the floor, he was quickly reproached by Reborn, who had peeked out of his office door to see the progress of the cleaning. Blushing from humiliation, he quickly swept and mopped the floors with the woman who had been sick for a week. She was still coughing a little, covering her mouth with her small hands every so often. Tsuna, even though he knew that it was not a sneeze, would always automatically say, "Bless you."

Chrome looked alarmed, for she had not sneezed at all, but she tinted a light shade of pink as she said, "Thank you." She held onto her mop much like how a child would cling to her toy. Now that there was an awkward silence hanging in the air between them, Tsuna cleared his throat, stammering,

"…S-So, what were you sick with?"

"…I had a cold." She was gazing at him with a peculiar look, but Tsuna didn't think too much of it. It was then that he heard the chime of bells behind him, the ones that would usually sound when a customer walked in. It was a little too late for customers, however, so it _had _to be someone else. Following the inquisitive violet-eyed gaze towards the direction of the door, he caught sight of the two men there. His jaw dropped, hanging loose in shock.

"Wh-wh…wh…" Tsuna couldn't seem to get the words out properly.

"Ushishishi~, the peasant is speechless by the very presence of the Prince!"

Unruly golden bangs could not cover the broad grin spreading on Bel's face, and nothing stopped the feeling of dawning horror from flooding Tsuna's entire soul. Behind him was the more-than-a-little-bizarre night host, Lussuria, sunglasses covering his eyes as per usual. Lussuria strutted in with beautified, yet exaggerated, grace, while Bel took a quick look at his shoes, nudging a tiny crumpled ball of tissue by his feet. He snapped his fingers at Tsuna, sadistic grin still plastered on his face.

"Oi, peasant, there's trash by my feet."

"You're starting to sound like the boss, Bel-chan~" The coo that reached Bel's ear was nothing short of disturbing, but the latter didn't flinch. It wouldn't be very princely if he did. He did, however, lean a little bit more to the side away from Lussuria. Tsuna quickly took a glance back at Chrome, but said woman was already gone; the brunet caught a glimpse of blue hair disappearing around the corner. It looked like she had run away. Tsuna didn't blame her; he would have, too, if his feet didn't seem glued to the ground it was standing on.

He finally got his mouth working. "What are _you two _doing here?!"

Bel's answer was predicted, "Princes can go wherever they like, ushishishi~"

Turning to Lussuria, Tsuna implored him with his eyes for a proper explanation. The man sauntered around the counter to where Dino, Ryohei, and Yamamoto were huddled, and he seemed to be scrutinizing them through his dark shades. Smiling happily, he pointed at the space between Ryohei and Dino. "They called us here."

"What?"

"THAT'S AN EXTREME ACCUSATION!" Ryohei protested, but the look on his face told Tsuna that the night host was speaking the truth. Tsuna didn't say anything, though, because he still had absolutely no idea why those two would be here. Even Dino started to object Lussuria's statement.

"No, no, no, we never did."

"Ushishishi~, what bad liars."

"What did they call you here for?" Tsuna decided to be curious. Some things were always best left unmentioned, but the brunet would never understand why Lussuria brought a purse with him. Bright with a prominent shade of gold, it sparkled in the inside lights as Lussuria pawed through his bag, searching for a certain something. Tsuna waited impatiently as Lussuria 'hmm'd and hummed to himself. Then, finally, he raised something up.

"Aha! See, when you ask me to do something, I always come prepared. Right, Bel-chan~?"

The blond didn't answer, but the sadistic grin was enough to make Tsuna tremble in fright. Now he had a slight premonition of what they were going to do. He took a step back, his caramel eyes on the roll of silky white ribbon in Lussuria's hands. "W-what are you planning to do with me?" He saw all of his friends' eyes shift towards the stairs that led downstairs, and then Tsuna caught on. He waved his hands in front of him, shaking his head frantically in objection. "No! I said I wasn't going to—"

"Oho~, does he have anything else to wear other than his uniform?" Lussuria prodded Tsuna's arm, and the brunet flinched back. The strange man continued to speak in a girlish voice, "But it wouldn't look _too _bad. White _does _contrast nicely with black, but I also bought this lovely red dress just yesterday—"

"I'm _NOT _wearing a dress!" Tsuna uttered loudly.

"I'm not sure Tsuna would appreciate you undressing him, anyway." Yamamoto laughed heartily, but even _this _cheery noise could not calm Tsuna down. These two men were up to no good, he knew, and his friends weren't helping either. Tsuna took this opportunity, this momentary distraction, to spin around on his feet and make a mad dash towards the stairs.

"…ushishishi, the target is getting away, idiot."

They didn't have to worry, however, about Tsuna getting away, because the moment he reached the middle of the staircase, something coloured with a shade of bright green smacked Tsuna right in the face. The brunet blinked his big eyes to see buggy yellow orbs staring back at him.

"HIIII! LEON!"

As Tsuna tried wrestling the chameleon off his face, his equilibrium was thrown off and he started to lean dangerously over the edge of the step he was on. Bel and Lussuria were closest to him, but neither made a move to dive and save the poor man as he crashed onto his back. Bel let loose a small snicker as Tsuna groaned in pain, brushing Leon off his face.

"Reborn!" he yelled, even though said person was nowhere to be seen. "What did you do that for?!"

"Dame-Tsuna, you really _are _clueless."

Hearing these exact words again made Tsuna's shoulders droop; he stared at his ex-home tutor and glared reproachfully at him. "What is that supposed to mean, Reborn? And why did you throw Leon at me?" Reborn smiled wittingly, reaching his hand out to take the chameleon, who seemed rather miffed that he had been thrown on the ground. The baby answered neither of those questions. He only said,

"You have a choice. Go to the nightshift willingly, or I will get the night hosts to force you down. If you resist still, I have no problem in getting the other boss up here for motivation."

Tsuna's knees suddenly felt weak. _How cruel…_

"Oho~, let's get started then!"

"H-hey, wait!" As Lussuria started to drag the reluctant brunet towards the bathroom, or wherever they could get privacy. Bel slid his hands into his pockets in a lazy manner, trailing behind the 'openly gay man'. Apparently, he was only there for support; in case Tsuna really did resist to the very end, he would have no problem taking his knives out and, well, who knows? These were sadistic people; crazy, insane, maniacal…and Tsuna had no intentions of being in the same room with _two. _"I don't want to go – Dino-san! Help!"

The blond _was _starting to look a little hesitant, but Bel faced him, hands folded behind his head as he taunted, "Ushishishi, you were the one who hired us. Don't forget, peasant."

The Hell Café waiter struggled still; his fingers clasped the edge of the door, trying one last time to get as far as he could from the Mohawked man. "I will run away, I swear I will!"

"That's why we brought the ribbon, honey. Bel-chan, hold him down."

Tsuna paled to a shade of deathly white. This was _so _not good.

* * *

Tsuna figured that he couldn't stay mad at his friends for very long. He had been quite livid for maybe five minutes after Lussuria carried him downstairs. Carried, because he could not walk. And Bel had taken his shoes off somewhere for his own enjoyment. The brunet was laid down on one of the crimson couches, and laces of white ribbon had been tied around his wrists and ankles, preventing him from any shots of escape. His snow-white dress shirt had been rumpled from the struggle earlier, so his black tie was also undone and hanging loose. Lussuria must have been really skilled at tying knots (probably from the experience of kidnapping people), because Tsuna couldn't tear them apart. Silky as the ribbons were, they were strong, and almost unbreakable. Wriggling his bare feet uncomfortably, he tried raising his head to see where everyone was. His couch was facing one of the corners, so unless someone was feeling particularly lonesome and emo tonight, he would not be seen.

He couldn't yell out either, because another strand of ribbon had gagged his mouth. Bel had done it right after Lussuria left, even after Tsuna had protested vigorously. The music was deafening, so no one would be able to hear him; now he just wanted someone to save him from his whole ordeal. Why did Dino and company want him down here, anyway?

His thoughts automatically traced back to Mukuro, and unintentionally, he hoped that the person that would find him out first would be him. Instantly, he shook his head.

_No one knows I'm here…_ he wailed hopelessly in his head. _I must have all the bad luck in the world…_

* * *

Mukuro had seen Lussuria and Bel bring Tsuna downstairs; he was aware that they had been called. Not only was he aware of that, he also knew that Tsuna was in major denial about his feelings towards him. He was grateful that Dino had the guts to actually call the night hosts for this, but now he was on his own to make Tsuna admit his feelings. It wasn't going to be easy, but he was Mukuro, after all. He could do it. Smirking at the ribbons tying up the delectable brunet, he resisted all urges to let his hands wander up and down the thin fabric of Tsuna's uniform. Perching himself on the armrest of the chair, he was pleased to see Tsuna's eyes widening in hopefulness.

"Seems like you're in trouble again, hm, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

A small rustle of movement could be heard as Tsuna tilted his head back to see Mukuro staring down at him intently. Shadows covered half of Mukuro's face, so only the deep sapphire orb could be seen in the barely-lit room. "Are you…going to help me?" he asked anxiously.

Mukuro brushed the light hair out of Tsuna's face, a habitual smirk on his lips. "Am I?" He rather liked how Tsuna was tied up with white ribbon at the moment. Like a present for him. Even if he wanted to help, he had made an agreement with Reborn: he wasn't supposed to do anything unless Tsuna owned up his feelings towards Mukuro. It was obvious – to everyone but _him. _But Mukuro thought it would be fair to give Tsuna a little nudge of a hint. "I'm afraid I can't."

"Huh? Why?"

"You tell me," was Mukuro's sneaky reply.

"…T-tell you…?"

"Your feelings," drawled Mukuro, patient as ever, "towards me. It's why you are here, is it not?"

This answer frustrated Tsuna a little bit, but it brought a healthy tinge of pink to his cheeks. Jutting his bottom lip out defiantly, he glowered half-heartedly at Mukuro. "Why is everyone asking me to do that?" That was an overstatement. No one had really asked him; mainly, it was _him _asking _himself. _"Mukuro-san, I don't like you that way." As soon as those words fell out of his mouth, he felt his heart beating rapidly against his ribcage, almost as if repeating the word in a steady rhythm: _liar, liar, liar, liar, liar…_

Mukuro studied Tsuna for a few seconds before sighing; much to the latter's utter surprise. "Fine, Tsunayoshi-kun. Two can play this game." He straightened up, flicking the imaginary dust off his sleeves before ambling off towards the other night hosts. There were a fair amount of people downstairs now; Tsuna could hear their voices bouncing off the walls. He wriggled, using his bounded hands to push himself up into a sitting position. After what seemed like forever, he sat up, not trusting himself to stand; he could very well topple over and pull a Dino, falling flat on his face and then he would _never _get back up. He saw Mukuro heading towards a lone host: Fran.

The room abruptly dropped a few degrees when Tsuna saw Mukuro drape his arm over the green-haired male's shoulders.

* * *

"But, Mukuro-sama, I do not want to flirt with you," Fran replied bluntly to Mukuro's suggestion. The taller placed a lithe finger on the other man's lips, shushing him up. Fran continued to mumble against the finger, "Besides, I don't know how."

"Oya, oya, nonsense. I taught you all there is to know about flirting. Don't worm your way out of this one, my cute little student. I need you to make Tsunayoshi-kun jealous." He squeezed Fran's shoulder, drawing a pained expression from the other, but it cleared in a matter of seconds.

"You're doing fine on your own, Mukuro-sama. He looks absolutely envious of me."

"Don't make me look," the night host replied back pleasantly.

Skeptically looking up at the taller male, Fran parted his lips to say, "This plan is almost as stupid as how idiot-senpai wears a tiara – ow."

That was all Fran had articulated when Mukuro's fingers clenched around the back of his neck; to others, it would've looked like an action of affection, but Fran was feeling an ordeal of pain right now. Swiveling the frog around, he pushed the other against him so that Fran would have no choice but to wrap his arms around Mukuro's slender frame in order to keep standing. The latter smirked in satisfaction while Fran mumbled against Mukuro's dark shirt.

"Don't treat me like a puppet, Mukuro-sama."

"It was too tempting, kufufu."

After moments of being close to each other, all the while ignoring jealous squeals from the women around them, Mukuro inquired, "Now, will you kindly look over my shoulder – my apologies, you are too short – look around me and see how Tsunayoshi-kun is doing."

"I don't want to."

Momentarily after those words were spoken, Fran grudgingly peered around Mukuro, one arm around the latter as the other hand patted his head, making sure his frog hat was still on top. His eyebrow quirked up in amusement from what he saw, and Mukuro was yet again enticed to glance back. But he didn't; he wanted to keep full control of this situation.

"Well?" His voice was strained with mild impatience. He was then irritated by the two word answer:

"Fail, Mukuro-sama."

It was indeed a failure of epic proportions, because when Mukuro was finally forced to look around to see what was happening, he was not pleased with the sight. Of course, like he said, two could play this game. But not _three. _He seethed inwardly, an aura of murderous intent clouding around him as a tense smirk flitted across his pale lips. Another man had approached Tsuna, and knowing _him_, he should have known that he would eventually get involved.

"How clever…_Byakuran._"

Now he knew for sure; with this heavy, foreboding feeling of possessiveness, he had definitely fallen head over heels for Tsuna.

* * *

_Moments ago…_

"Tsu-na-yo-shi-kun~, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous."

Tsuna glanced up just in time to see that – what was his name again? – white-haired V.I.P gazing at him with a curious expression. His eyes closed as he smiled pleasantly at the brunet, and he propped his elbows on the backrest of the couch. Tsuna sniffled, wondering how he must have looked to make it seem so obvious. He glanced back at Mukuro, who was now speaking into Fran's ear. So what if he was a little envious? He _was _used to Mukuro's attention being on _him _usually, and this sudden change of action was a little shocking.

Oh. His name was Byakuran, Tsuna recalled. The playful tone was still in his voice. "Do you like him?"

_Do I? _Tsuna found himself nodding rather sadly. He felt slightly pathetic, being a grown man and tied up in a situation like this. Byakuran chuckled lightly, taking hold of the ribbon that bound Tsuna's wrists together. The latter wiggled a little in order to get on his knees, and soon, he was eyelevel with Byakuran. _Eep. _

"We can make him jealous, too." Pearly whites shone in the dark; that smile was just a _little _bit unnerving.

"Ho-ow?" Tsuna's voice cracked; not because he was crying, but because he hadn't spoken for a while. He cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed. "How?" he repeated, "Mukuro-san… he doesn't like me like that, does he?" He was expecting the answer to be 'no', but Byakuran didn't answer. He just sent him a thin smile.

"Would you like to find out?"

Tsuna did not know what compelled him to nod his head. Perhaps it was because he wanted to know, once and for all. He raised his hands. "Are you going to untie m—"

"Nope~"

After a few seconds of sulking, Tsuna paid close attention to Byakuran's movements. The slender man was blocking Tsuna's view of Mukuro, which was probably all for the better, but he didn't know why. The man then proceeded to bend down, raising Tsuna's chin with the tip of his finger. Smiling agreeably, he tilted his head to the side and placed his hands on Tsuna's shoulders to keep him still. "All you have to do is not move. Can you do this for me, Tsunayoshi?"

"Y-yes, but why…?"

Byakuran's violet eyes flashed with placid delight. "It is entertaining. Besides," he chuckled enigmatically, "Mukuro-chan is playing the jealousy card as well, ne?" In mere seconds, his face was centimeters away from Tsuna's, and the brunet instinctively yanked his head back, only to be forced back into position. "Keep still~" Though Byakuran's voice was light, it had a testy shadow to it. Tsuna obeyed.

It took him a while to understand, but Tsuna closed his eyes as realization dawned over him. From where Mukuro was standing, it would look like Byakuran was kissing him. It was an old trick, but it seemed to be working, because the moment the two heard footsteps approaching, Byakuran pulled away dramatically, tracing his mouth with his finger and licking his lips.

"What a pleasant surprise, Mukuro-chan."

"I would say differently." But the navy-haired male returned the smile with an upturned smirk. "May I ask what exactly were you doing with _my _Tsunayoshi-kun?"

"_My?" _Byakuran echoed, and Tsuna suddenly felt all warm inside, full of appreciation towards Mukuro. He inwardly thanked Byakuran, but this didn't necessarily mean that Mukuro _liked _him. Maybe he just liked owning his…body.

"That's right." In one fluid motion, Mukuro hauled Tsuna over the couch just by grabbing his wrists, and pulled him flush against him. Tsuna's hands were squished between his body and Mukuro's, but he could feel the heat rising up into his cheeks. Mukuro's chin rested on top of Tsuna's fluffy brown hair, and he heard a soft murmur, and even though the music was blaring from all sides, the brunet still managed to hear it. "In other words, this man…_is mine._"

Tsuna didn't know what happened next; maybe they had a not-so-friendly exchange of deathly glares, but whatever happened, Byakuran had gone. His job was done; Mukuro had said it first. Next thing he knew, he was being pushed gently backwards, and Mukuro gazed amusedly at his bare feet. Before Tsuna could say anything to explain it, though he had a good feeling that Mukuro knew _why _he was barefoot, he was being lifted into the air, bridal style. A short squeak of surprise could be heard, and Mukuro chuckled darkly as he sat down, placing Tsuna sideways on his lap.

"Mukuro…san?" When the man didn't say anything, Tsuna was a little befuddled and a little afraid that he was mad. He was about to question this when the other's lips parted.

"Shall I kill him? Kufufu…"

"E-eh?"

"He kissed you," replied Mukuro in a cynical voice. When he was met with silence, he prompted, "Did he not?" Brown locks shook side to side as Tsuna rejected the thought. Some sort of indefinable relief crossed Mukuro's face, but it only flickered into sight for less than a second. "I shall stab him with a fork for trying, then."

"Mukuro-san! Really, it's okay. Byakuran-san didn't try anything." _Though he was a little bit creepy. _

Tsuna could make out the faintest shadow of a smile on Mukuro's face, and he wondered what _that _was all about. Fleetingly, the man's face inched towards his, and when he spoke, Tsuna could feel the man's hot breath on his lips. Purposefully keeping that distance between them, Mukuro's voice dropped to a low purr. "Oya, this complicates things," he whispered huskily. "See, now, _I _was the one who confessed first, when it was supposed to be _you._"

Tsuna blinked, bewildered and lost. What was he waiting for?

A quick movement from the taller caused Tsuna to topple backwards, but Mukuro's arm slid around Tsuna's waist and held him firmly. Involuntarily, even though his hands were still bound together, they reached up and clasped onto the front of Mukuro's shirt, his cheeks tinting a hue of crimson. Why was he feeling so flustered about this? Mukuro had kissed his cheek, attacked his neck with his butterfly kisses, and he _positively knew _of his feelings. It was more than infatuation. It wasn't obsession, but it wasn't like he could push Rokudo Mukuro out of his head forcefully. That feeling that sped up his heart rate every time he _thought _about the man when he wasn't there with him was agonizing, and seeing him with another person was unbearable to watch.

It hurt, and Tsuna knew what this was.

He was crazy for him.

Mukuro's smile widened; it seemed like he knew what the brunet was thinking. "The confession, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

"Do you force these things out of everyone you meet?" Tsuna asked weakly.

"Only my favourites, kufufu~"

_I can't say it, _Tsuna thought blearily; his mind felt so out of order. He was too close to Mukuro, and the other's lips were…mesmerizing. And inching nearer and nearer as the second hand on the clock above ticked away. He had a choice in his head. Tell him, or show him. Since his vocal chords would not work the way he would want them to work, and he seemed to be more than just a little bit tongue-tied, he finalized: _I'll show him._

Tilting his head up, with boldness that came out of nowhere, Tsuna tentatively tugged on the front of Mukuro's shirt, urging the other to lean a bit forwards. He was a bit tied up at the moment (in more ways than one), and so he couldn't do much. Mukuro got the message, anyway, and the moment the very outer molecules of their lips brushed, Mukuro brashly forced their mouths together in a soft, yet slightly bruising, kiss.

Kissing Mukuro was a lot nicer than Tsuna would have thought. No beliefs of whether or not this was wrong ever crossed his mind; all he knew was that he _wanted _this. Breaking the kiss, Mukuro noticed that Tsuna's face was a flattering shade of rose, and he smirked. Tsuna's gaze dropped to his hands, and what he mumbled incoherently next sounded suspiciously like: "Somaybeye likyu."

"Enunciate, Tsunayoshi-kun. And slowly."

"I don't want to say it again," Tsuna protested, mortified. The corner of Mukuro's lips curled in amusement as he knocked his head gently against Tsuna's. In a breathy, hushed whisper, Tsuna could smell the sweet smell of vanilla as Mukuro murmured,

"Ti amo, Tsunayoshi."

Exasperated, Tsuna could not comprehend that what Mukuro said could be translated to: _I love you. _"I can't understand that."

"Kufufu, of course you do." Another quick peck on the lips. "You can, even without me saying anything." As Tsuna tried to work out what was being said, Mukuro ghosted his lips over the slender, susceptible neck. It was moments later that they heard someone clapping beside them.

"Lil bro, you finally confessed!" Dino beamed down at them, not the least bit fazed about the fact that he had just interrupted their 'alone' time. Mukuro frowned, his grip on Tsuna's waist tightening. It was then that the brunet realized his hands and feet were still tied up; his toes touched the velvety feel of the couch.

"Y-yes, I did."

"You look rather bothered with something, Bucking Bronco," Mukuro interrupted, still faintly chagrined that Dino had come at the worst time. Dino ran a hand through tousled blond hair; indeed, he was looking rather uncomfortable. He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder; even his smile was forced, but his tone remained light and humorous.

"Hibari seems to be interested in this new person."

"…kufufu, what makes you say that?"

As they both craned their necks to see behind Dino, Tsuna's eyes widened considerably to see a very lost Kozato Enma huddled near a corner, eyes staring blankly at Hibari's back. The latter was supposedly glowering at Lussuria, shooting daggers at the man with his cobalt eyes. They could hear the conversation, but vaguely.

"He's so adorable~"

"Get away from him. You are a disgusting herbivore in the form of a pedophile. I will bite you to death if you do not step away."

Lussuria then proceeded to make smooching noises with his lips, and if he had not ducked in time, he would have had a tonfa smashed up his nose, and the bones in said nose would probably fly up into his brain. His mind would never work the same again, not like it already _was _working properly. "Hoho~, you're so violent, Hibari-chan."

Now it was Mukuro's turn to chuckle darkly. "Kufufu, I see what you mean." He didn't blame Hibari for wanting to protect the 'adorable redhead'. No one was safe when Lussuria was around.

Dino looked pained. "I mean, Kyoya—"

"VOOOOOOOOI!"

Dino would have nearly flipped forwards over the couch, on top of Mukuro, if Squalo hadn't grabbed onto the back of his shirt on time. As the blond desperately tried to escape the clutches of the loud 'Emperor's Swordsman', Mukuro decided to lift Tsuna over to the other couch, where he would have a good view of the show. Though the other complained about the ribbon, Mukuro still didn't relent; he liked the idea of white ribbon binding his 'present' together. Anyway, it reassured him that Tsuna would not run away.

Other than that, though, it seemed like everyone tonight was having their fair share of switching partners up.

* * *

**AN:** AHH, I'm sorry for sluggish update. Me, being lazy, plus no solid plot, is slow updates. The next one...I have no promises of it being a quick update since I have absolutely no idea what the chapter is going to be about. I only know how this story is going to end. :3 So yes, thank you so much for reading this. And bearing with me and my slow updates. T'anks! And thanks very much for the reviews/alerts/favourites~

_Ti amo!_


	7. The Carpal Tunnel of Love

**Summary:** A bored drawl was evident in the waiter's deep voice as he handed Tsuna a menu, "My name is Rokudo Mukuro, and, no, my good looks are not an illusion. Now, what would you like to have?" AU!6927

**Spoilers: **Adults never act like adults. Ever. Or usually. Fuuu. C'mon, twenty-two-year-olds have to have fun, too ~ shh.  
So I made this chapter long ! Don't wanna give my precious readers a crappy, short chapter. /lots of love.)

* * *

Hell Café**  
**_It's a world of its own – Mukuro R. & Tsuna S._

_**Chapter Seven  
**_The Carpal Tunnel Of Love_**  
**__we shake, shake, shake the hips in relationships_

"They're getting more suspicious now, even the police outside of Italy are warning the ones inside. You'll have nowhere to run; you do know that, yes?"

Reborn was sitting patiently on his desk, eying Mukuro with a curious expression, or perhaps it was only wariness. Mukuro was standing in front of his desk, trident in hand; he had just come out from the nightshift, and it was now nearly five o' clock in the morning. He could barely stay standing without it. Raising a hand to his eyes, he gave a nod, a motion which told Reborn that he understood exactly what the consequences were. He knew this cover wouldn't last forever. The café was already risking itself by protecting him, but he knew that once he got caught, he had to tell the police that Hell Café had nothing to do with hiding him. Reborn had asked him to do this one simple task, and Mukuro had agreed. No sense bringing someone else down with him. He didn't care too much of it, but of course, he would have rather not get caught at all.

Deciding that he was even too tired to stand up, he slowly slid into the couch that was conveniently behind him and closed his eyes languidly. Mukuro forced his lips to move to say in his smooth voice, "It's only a matter of time now."

A lot of time had passed. Christmas was well on its way in nearly a week, yet snow had yet to arrive. Why was that? The eccentric man's thoughts meandered off track for a few seconds due to his deprivation of sleep.

"You remember your agreements?" Reborn asked almost casually. Mukuro nodded, smiling pleasantly. Now that he thought about it, he wondered how a baby like this was able to run a café by himself. Xanxus may have helped him out a few times – or not – but Reborn must have had some magical prowess in order to do all this in his tiny little form. As he continued to muse inside his head, his respect for Reborn increased slightly.

"So do you know what you're going to do?"

The thin smile that was stretching on Mukuro's lips showed just how little patience he had for this subject. It was a very touchy subject indeed. "I thought I would just wing it when the time comes." He almost thought Reborn would object, but all the café owner did was tilt his head down until the fedora shadowed his eyes and the baby slid his miniature hands into his pockets.

"If you think you can do it," he uttered with his signature smirk. Mukuro returned it with one of his own, a beguiling twinkle in his eye.

There was a long pause. Mukuro thought that maybe this would be a good time to get some shut-eye, but then Reborn piped up "Have you told Tsuna yet?"

"Tsunayoshi-kun?" Mukuro repeated, though he had heard the first time. Was he planning to tell Tsuna that he was a highly wanted criminal? Not likely. So many things could happen, and there was so little time they could spend together. Mukuro decided that he didn't want to waste even the hours.

He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, the door behind opened.

"Tell me what?"

* * *

Tsuna had always been rather disoriented when waking up in the mornings. He imputed that certain fact since he woke up way too early, when it was really just him forgetting to reset the morning alarm. He thought he was late for work, and after hearing the ear-splitting beep reaching his ear, he leapt out of bed, swearing under his breath. He brushed his teeth and slid into his work clothes all at the same time, and in less than ten minutes, he was already speeding out of his apartment.

It wasn't until he was a mere few buildings from the café that he decided to take a look at the time. He had let out an exaggerated groan of frustration when he saw that he was two hours early for work. Still, it was better than being late, but now he was exhausted. Stifling a yawn with the back of his hand, he wandered aimlessly, looking for Reborn's office and hoping that he would be able to catch some sleep there, if the other would allow him.

It was then that he heard hushed voices seeping through the crack underneath the door. He knew better than to eavesdrop, because Reborn had taught him better than that. It was usually followed by a series of punishments for the brunet, like yanking on his ear until he yelped, which would remind him of the consequences the next time he listened in on a conversation that wasn't his. Still, he couldn't help but to be a little curious. He heard Reborn's voice, but he also heard someone else's.

That 'someone else's' voice sounded oddly familiar, and as Tsuna strode closer, he figured out why. His eyes widened considerably as he listened to Mukuro laugh quietly under his breath. He knew that laugh from anywhere. It _still _sent shivers running up and down his spine like someone had cracked a cold egg on top of his head. He stiffened when he heard his name.

_Tell me what? _His mind screamed at him to find out. The way they were talking didn't mean good news, and whatever this news was, he wanted to know. He felt like he had just been stuck inside the middle of a movie, and it was a foreign movie at that. He didn't understand what was going on at all, and before he knew it, he had pushed the palm of his hand against the door and walked in with a stern look.

"Tell me what?"

Mukuro instantly swiveled around and Tsuna could tell that he had been up all night. The man looked like he could pass out at any given second and Tsuna had to resist the strong urge to rush forward and catch him in case he actually _did _fall forward. A feeble smirk fell upon Mukuro's pale lips. "I did not know you were listening."

"What did I say about eavesdropping, Tsuna?" Reborn asked with a resigned sigh.

Instinctively, Tsuna brought his hands up to his ears and stared at Reborn. "You're not going to…" he trailed off, leading the baby off with a few hints. Reborn kept his blank gaze on him and said nothing. That just terrified the brunet even more, and he couldn't stop stuttering. "I-In any case, I want to know what's going on! What are you keeping from me?"

"You must have heard something else," Mukuro said in his smooth voice that made Tsuna want to forgive him for tricking him like this, but he refused to fall in just yet. Still, even so, his eyes strayed to those inviting lips. He shook himself out of his semi-trancelike state.

"I'm sure I heard Reborn asking you if you had told me yet," Tsuna accused. He ogled at the two of them. "You can't trick me like this. I'm not completely useless, you know."

Mukuro exchanged glances with Reborn, and the latter gave a firm nod. "This meeting has concluded. Get some sleep." He turned his back on them and was silent. Tsuna stared at the back of his shiny black coat with growing disbelief.

"Hey, Reborn - !"

"Let us go, Tsunayoshi-kun," said Mukuro in that complaisant tone. Before the other could splutter out a coherent protest, he slid his arm around the brunet's shoulders and led him out the room. Tsuna wasn't even able to get a word out the whole time, and it wasn't until he was face-to-face with door number six that he whirled on Mukuro, planting his feet to the ground so that he would not budge unless forced.

"Is it really that important?" He didn't want to be a pest about this, but it was starting to bother him. It was like a painfully probing thought that nagged him, and it was telling him he had to find out or something bad was going to happen. Then again, this happened with almost everything he did. This annoying thought was just a little more stronger than the rest.

Mukuro looked at him through tired, mismatched eyes. "…" Silence. Guilt started to weigh the shorter man down and, finally, he decided to end it.

"We'll talk about this later?" Tsuna suggested, fidgeting on the spot. He didn't want to have Mukuro losing sleep just because he couldn't let go of this one little secret. He felt his heart swell when he saw the look of gratitude rushing into the taller male's expression.

"That would be much better," Mukuro said, closing his eyes with a smile. Tsuna wasn't sure if he was lying about it or not, but the smile had him lost. He then felt the world spin and he got even more lost when Mukuro bent down and stole a kiss from his quivering lips. As they parted, Tsuna had just opened his eyes in time to see that tongue sliding over attractive lips.

"Arrivederci, Tsunayoshi-kun." Mukuro stepped back and was just about to close the door when Tsuna blurted out,

"Good night!"

The navy-haired man sent him an odd little look before smiling, closing the door. Tsuna then realized how stupid he sounded. It was obviously morning, and not even close to night. What was he thinking? He connected his forehead with the nearest wall, crying out from the pain when he had slammed his head against it too hard, and proceeded to drag his feet down the stairs, ready to start his day's hours of work.

_

* * *

_

_One more hour until I get to leave, _Tsuna mused inside his head. _Then I can talk to Mukuro-san. _His elbows were propped on the counter and his chin rested on the palms of his hands. It seemed like time was ticking by slowly, and it was doing it on purpose just to antagonize him.

_Tick. Tock. Tick…Tock…Tick._

And it was like every second was growing longer and longer.

Tsuna could already feel his eyelids growing heavy. It was _such _a slow day. He perked up ever so slightly when he heard the bell ringing above the door; someone had walked in. As the brunet turned around, he realized that there were two people. Police officers, to be exact. In the back of his mind, he wondered what he had done wrong, since he was just paranoid like that, but it didn't look like they were here to catch any criminals. They sent Tsuna a smile before sitting down by a table.

The twenty-two year old glanced around to see if anyone could wait them, but the others were busy. Sighing, Tsuna pushed himself off the counter and dragged his feet over to where the police officers were. He did his best to pull a warming smile at them. "A-Ano, my name is Sawada Tsunayoshi and I will be your waiter for today. Uh…" he paused for a moment; he had never been good at this. "When I was little, I wanted to be a robot when I grew up?" Even to himself, he sounded uncertain. Of course, it was a ridiculous dream. Here he was, a waiter at a café, not even close to a robot.

The policemen chuckled politely as they gave their orders. Tsuna couldn't help but flush with embarrassment at what he had told them. This was like giving away private information, even though by saying it, it was like he was agreeing to let it out to the world. Even though he had been working here for almost four to five months, he still couldn't get used to it. As he poured their coffees, his ears caught their soft murmur.

"So, Geronimo, got any leads yet?"

"On what? The escaped convict?"

"What else could I possibly be talking about?" The other thanked Tsuna as he finished with his cup, but since the brunet wanted to listen in on more (even though he wasn't supposed to and he should have known this from this morning's lesson), he slowed down his pouring of coffee for the man named Geronimo.

"There's no sign of him, is there? There's nowhere he could have run, and this is the only place where he could have gone. He's got to be around town somewhere. We have to catch him before he acts again." As the man said this, Tsuna got a chill. There was an escaped convict around town? How recent was this? He didn't remember seeing anything about an escaped convict, but then again, these men didn't look like they were from this area. The man continued, "What was his name again– ah, thank you."

Tsuna looked down, disappointed. The cup was full and he was so close in overfilling it. He retracted his hand and bowed. "Enjoy. I'll be back with your meals shortly." He tried walking slower, but he got the idea that they must have realized he was listening in on their conversation because their voices dropped even more. Sighing with defeat, Tsuna returned to the counter. He wondered if he could search this on the internet later, but it was likely that he was going to forget about it.

As he was walking back from the cops' table after presenting them with their orders, he saw Mukuro walking gracefully down the stairs, though strands of dark blue hair stuck out at ends. It looked like the man was still half-asleep, but at least this time, he made himself look slightly more presentable. He smiled at Tsuna and the latter felt his heart flutter at the sight.

"Ciao, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"H-Hello." He started towards Mukuro. At that moment, the man looked up and _past _Tsuna. His expression hardened and he froze where he was. This reaction only lasted for a split second before Mukuro decided to send an amiable smirk in Tsuna's direction. He pretended that he had seen nothing out of the ordinary, but the man knew it was dangerous to linger in plain sight of the cops.

"I seem to have forgotten something upstairs." He turned around and abruptly left. Tsuna found himself reaching forward with his hand, stuttering a silent protest as his boyfriend left without another word. Frustrated, he stomped back to the counter and frowned. Mukuro had been acting weird lately. He wondered what was going on. Blowing out a wisp of air from the corner of his lips and feeling the tuft of hair on his forehead lifting and falling back down, he drummed his fingers on the counter as he waited for his shift to end.

Night had fallen. Mukuro had stayed in his room for most of the time, eager in avoiding the policemen. He sifted through the thoughts in his mind; why were they here? Had they caught onto his scent already? Then again, it didn't look like they were here to investigate. He hoped that encounters like this would not happen again. Sighing into his hands, he brought his fingertips to his lips. Should he tell Tsuna? Two light knocks sounded at the door, and Mukuro instantly straightened up with a smile. He knew who was behind the closed door.

"Mukuro-san?"

"Yes?"

There was a timid pause. "May I come in?"

Mukuro knew he had to keep the subject from straying to his strange behaviour, so the moment Tsuna opened the door and stepped in, Mukuro graciously stood up. "Let's go for a walk."

"A walk?" Tsuna repeated. He wasn't sure if he had heard right.

The taller had strode over to his closet and pulled out an indigo jacket along with a woolen scarf. "Kufufu_, _the stars are out tonight." He punched his arms through the sleeves before turning around to face Tsuna. "You will be cold if you don't find something to wear."

"A-Ah! Right!" Tsuna hastily swiveled on the balls of his feet and his face abruptly collided into the wall. Mukuro chuckled as Tsuna apologized profusely for no reason, and watched as the brunet scampered out of the room. Really, he was adorable, and Mukuro was glad that he fell for him. It made him feel a little bit better for being a criminal, though he knew it made no sense. He passed along a small smile to Tsuna when he saw the brunet rushing towards him with a silly little grin on his face. He was clad in a thick cashmere sweater; it was probably something he had brought along when he came to work. Taking hold of the latter's hand, he led Tsuna outside.

The chilly air bit at their cheeks, but the warmth of their hands slowly spread to their chest. Tsuna moved closer to Mukuro as they walked side by side. They were now on a bridge; it was the place where the stars were visible, and there were no trees or buildings that could obscure their view of the beautiful, starry sky. Tsuna breathed out a puff of cold air and watched as a cloud of white appeared in front of him. He rested his elbows on the rim of the side of the bridge, gazing out into the distance. The humming sound of cars driving back and forth behind him didn't bother him at all.

Mukuro also placed his elbows on the sides, but instead of facing the same way Tsuna was, his eyes were on the cars zooming past. Tsuna shot him a sideways glance, biting on his bottom lip as he wondered how to start the conversation. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he opened his mouth.

"Can I, um, ask you a question?"

Those stunning mismatched eyes – their different colours could still be seen under the moon's pallid light – dropped down to the ground. Tsuna thought they had a sad glare to them. "You just did, but you may do so again."

The brunet rubbed his hands together, cursing at himself for not bringing gloves. He didn't expect to be walking around during the night when the cold was harsher. Plucking up his courage, though he lacked it, he managed to say in a hoarse whisper, "Are you ever going to tell me what's going on?" He half-expected the older to get vexed by the amount of times he was asking, but to his surprise, Mukuro just smiled. He didn't seem mad at all, but if he was, he was hiding it very well, much to Tsuna's gratitude.

"Do you really want to know?"

The moment that question left Mukuro's lips, Tsuna asked himself the same question. Did he? He was thinking about it more deeply now. Was it really that big of a secret, and did he really have the right to know? There shouldn't be any secrets between him and his boyfriend now, right? It should be okay to ask. He parted his lips to say, 'yes, I want to know', when Mukuro looked at him, the shadow of his dark navy hair nearly masking his mismatched eyes.

"I'd like to ask you for a favour."

Tsuna closed his mouth, opened it again, then closed it. He felt very much like a goldfish. He nodded silently. Mukuro turned around to face the edge of the bridge, and he stared at the city lights ahead. It really _was _a beautiful night. There was not a single cloud in the sky, and all the stars were visible. The moon was even in a perfect crescent shape. Mukuro sighed. He paused. Then he smiled at Tsuna. "Please don't worry about it. It's really nothing to be worried about." Even as he said this, he could taste the bitterness in his lie. He continued to curl his lips in a fake-genuine smile, and he hoped Tsuna would believe him. He just was not ready to tell him his secret yet, though he would have trusted him with his life.

Tsuna looked weary as he gazed into Mukuro's eyes. He figured he was just overreacting, and that Mukuro was right. Forcing a calm smile out, he nodded. "I won't then." Something bothered him when he said it, but he kicked the feeling out. He was most surprised when Mukuro beamed, leaning down and kissing him full on the lips. He pulled back and breathed against Tsuna's lips.

"I appreciate it."

The brunet flushed before he could stop himself; he started turning his head to the side as he tried to catch his breath. He didn't realize he was holding onto the front of Mukuro's jacket. The latter, however, noticed that Tsuna's hands were shaking. Chuckling deeply under his breath, he took off his own scarf, which was warm from his own body heat, and wrapped it around Tsuna. He jumped in surprise when he felt the extra weight around his neck, but he started to protest, "Ah, I can't take this, Mukuro-san! You're going to be cold now!"

"I'll be fine." Mukuro smiled, tugging one of his gloves off and handing it to Tsuna. The brunet glanced at it, looked up, then hesitantly took it. He struggled to slide it over his left hand, but the cold was making his hands shake rather violently. Mukuro waited patiently, then he took Tsuna's trembling, cold, other hand and graciously slid it into his jacket pocket. He gave Tsuna's hand a comforting squeeze. "Is it warmer now?"

Tsuna ducked his head shyly so now his chin was hidden underneath the scarf. His voice sounded muffled as he spoke against the scarf. "Yes…" He cleared his throat. No one, except maybe Gokudera, had ever done this for him. It was nice, and it made his insides feel all warm and fluffy. He felt something icy brushing against his cheek and he blinked, drawing his attention to the sky.

It was snowing.

Tsuna's face split into a happy, child-like grin as light snow drifted down and landed softly on Mukuro's head. The man's lips formed a slight frown as he glanced around, as if he was wondering what kind of inconvenience this was. Still, his boyfriend seemed to be enjoying himself, so he let the problem slide. Tsuna raised his gloved left hand and tried catching one of the snowflakes. He laughed aloud as he caught a piece of snow on his tongue. "Ahh, it's cold. You've got snow in your hair, Mukuro-san. Do you want to start heading back?"

For a moment, Mukuro didn't answer. Tsuna's face really did shine innocence. What was he doing with him? He was going to taint his innocence. Maybe that puppy-dog of a friend was right. What was his name? Gokudera? He shook himself out of it before replying, "Let's head back. You can stay in my room so you don't have to drive in the snow. I'll make you some hot cocoa when we get there."

Tsuna grinned. "Okay." He took his hand, and together, they walked.

_

* * *

_

_Bzzzz. BzzzZZZzzz~_

Tsuna groaned groggily, his vision obscured by the sleepy tears in his eyes. His hand groped around the side table for his vibrating phone, but instead of picking it up, he knocked it to the ground. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he reached down and flipped the phone to his ear. His words slurred together tiredly. "Hello?"

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto's cheerful voice nearly burst his eardrum and he yanked the phone away from his ear. He listened all the while trying to turn the volume down. "It snowed yesterday! There's snow outside. You know what I want to do?"

"Umm…"

"Snow ball fight!" Yamamoto laughed cheerfully. "Let's go, Tsuna! And you can bring Mukuro-san with you! I'll bring Gokudera and get the others. We'll meet in front of our old school."

"I…never went to your old school."

Tsuna could almost imagine Yamamoto raking a hand through his hair sheepishly, laughing all the while at his mistake. "Haha! Oh, right. It's so weird. It feels like we've always been friends. Sorry! It's Millefiore high school. Meet there, okay?"

"W-wait, I haven't even - " Tsuna spluttered out, flabbergasted by the sudden proposal, but before he could say anything else, his friend had already hung up on him. He let out a big sigh and turned to his side – only to see Mukuro's sly demeanor. He gave a startled yell and flinched back. The other man chuckled darkly under his breath.

"My apologies for frightening you, Tsunayoshi-kun." He nodded to the phone in his hand. "Who was that?"

"Yamamoto…" Tsuna said with some hesitance. "He wants us to have a snowball fight."

"A snowball fight? How amusing." Mukuro asked in a light manner, though there was a slight sneer embedded in his words. Tsuna didn't catch it. He glanced at the clock wearily as he stifled a small yawn with the back of his hand.

"Well, he likes having fun, I guess," Tsuna replied. He rather enjoyed that there was always someone happy around him. Yamamoto made sure of that. Mukuro's expression didn't change. His stoic gaze fell on Tsuna, and the latter fell back under his calculating stare. "…What?" he asked hesitantly.

Mukuro traced a finger down the side of his face as a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Nothing." Tsuna wondered if he would ever be able to get used to that look. It just screamed scheming something like Tsuna's demise. The brunet glanced off to the side, much to Mukuro's dissatisfaction.

"So … so do you want to go?"

"Oya, oya, it sounds so meddlesome. These games really don't suit me all that well," Mukuro drawled sardonically. "But…" In one smooth motion, Mukuro sat up and leaned closer to Tsuna, placing a hand on either side of him and trapping him with his arms. Tsuna froze in his spot, red colouring his cheeks. "…if it's something you're interested in, I might have to oblige in accompanying you." There was a twinkle of amusement in Mukuro's eyes, and even Tsuna found that rather charming.

His smile wavered anxiously; Mukuro was much too close to him again. Tsuna hurriedly twisted onto his side and grabbed his clothes. As he started unbuttoning his shirt in front of the room's mirror (he had to because of all those countless times he missed a button and had to start over again), he caught some movement from behind him. The brunet started to turn around, and was startled again to see Mukuro approaching him.

"E-Eh?" Tsuna squeaked embarrassingly, backing up a bit, but with one deft movement, Mukuro had an unrelenting grasp on the front of his shirt. There was a satisfied glint in those mismatched orbs when Tsuna's brown eyes met with his nervously. Mukuro was almost certain he could feel a tremor from Tsuna's slender body as he pulled the brunet up against him.

"Is something the matter?" Mukuro asked calmly. "You're running away."

"Ano…" Tsuna bit his bottom lip, then shook his head with a wry smile. "I'm…I'm still a little nervous around Mukuro-san." He gave another awkward laugh, running his fingers through his hair. It was strange how he couldn't hold eye-contact with his boyfriend, but it wasn't a lie that he felt incredibly elated around him. He blinked; Mukuro was starting to lean in. _A kiss? _Tsuna thought, his head spinning from the blood rushing into his head.

Yet, he was pleasantly surprised to feel Mukuro pushing his hair back, and he knew his cheeks were glowing when he felt soft lips pressing against his forehead. "How cute," he heard Mukuro murmur, and instinctively, Tsuna pulled away to protest.

"Cute?" Tsuna repeated doubtfully. "I'm not – I – I have to change," Tsuna quickly said, changing the subject midsentence. He felt a sharp pang of guilt as he locked himself in the bathroom. That must have been the third time he pushed Mukuro away. Why was that? He rubbed his head, frustrated and humiliated with himself. As he walked out of the washroom, he saw Mukuro clad in a black jacket, a solemn look on his face as he gazed out the window.

Tsuna gulped. _Did I do something? _"Mukuro-san?"

It was amazing how quickly that serious expression morphed into one of calm pleasantness. He smiled at Tsuna and the latter realized he was holding out a sweater for him to take. "Kufufu, a t-shirt?" he asked, looking Tsuna up and down. "It'll be cold outside. You don't want to get sick."

"Ah. Right." Tsuna took the sweater and pulled it over his head. He pushed it down to cover his stomach, fixed it, and then smiled at Mukuro. "Ready?"

"When you are," Mukuro replied, opening the door for him.

"Yeah – wait!" Tsuna hurried to the bedside table and grabbed his cell phone. There was no way he was going to let this day pass without any pictures to remember it by. It had been a while since he had hung out with friends.

"Hey, Tsuna! You're here!"

Yamamoto waved as he jogged over. He beamed, turning to Mukuro. "I'm glad you could make it."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Mukuro said, words heavy with sarcasm. Tsuna laughed anxiously, feeling like he might've forced Mukuro to come after all. He hoped Mukuro wasn't upset, but the thought of it made his heart drop. Then he caught sight of a scowling Gokudera.

"Gokudera-kun?"

And then the frown flipped into an ecstatic smile. "Jyuudaime!" He stepped forward, but when he caught sight of Mukuro, his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth formed another irritated scowl. Mukuro smiled at him with a mockingly oblivious air.

"How is Gamma?"

"Don't talk about that fucking bastard!" Gokudera snapped, turning slightly pink.

Mukuro merely chuckled before turning away. Snowy fluffs were already beginning to collect on Mukuro's shoulders and Tsuna, distracted, brushed it off idly. Gokudera turned aside as well, his expression bordering between shame and frustration. Yamamoto continued to grin.

"Isn't it pretty?" he asked, smiling from ear to ear. One would have thought he couldn't sense the tension between his friends right now. He glanced up to the sky, catching a flake of snow on his tongue. "Ryohei should be here soon, and I called Dino, too."

Tsuna was pretty sure that Hibari wouldn't come to this gathering, even if Dino implored him to. He was starting to feel worse about having Mukuro tag along now, and avoided the other male's gaze. Yamamoto patted Gokudera on the shoulder. "Maa, cheer up, Gokudera. You'll be back with Gamma soon enough."

"Who says I'm even thinking about that idiot?" Gokudera yelled, then he tightened his lips, looking as if he wished he hadn't burst out angrily. "Just stop talking about him."

"We're here!"

Tsuna heard a familiar voice to his right and he immediately looked. Dino was crossing over with a big grin on his face. He was wearing an olive coat with fur rimmed around the hood, and his blond hair was windswept and speckled with snow. The girls were there as well; Haru, Kyoko, and Chrome. They were wrapped in warm scarves and their heads were covered with cute little hats. Kyoko waved, and Haru exclaimed, "We're not playing! We're going to be taking pictures!"

Tsuna had to smile at that, but when he got to Ryohei, he stopped short. He was clad in a big, oversized coat but it was unzipped and open, and Tsuna could see the other man wearing a tank top underneath. He ogled at him.

"A-Aren't you cold?" he asked with a mild hint of uncertainty.

"Nope! Snowball fights require a lot of running and exercise! I wouldn't want to get too hot, right, Sawada?" He thumped Tsuna on the back enthusiastically, causing the brunet to stumble forwards. Again, Mukuro held onto him and caught onto the back of his jacket before he managed to fall.

"Don't _manhandle _the Jyuudaime!" Gokudera shouted at Ryohei instinctively. Tsuna rubbed his head quietly, a little embarrassed over Gokudera's second outburst and how he himself was so clumsy. He didn't get to say anything else, however, because at that moment, Gokudera's head snapped forward from a hit from behind. The man whirled around angrily, the back of his hair wet with snow. "OI! YOU NEVER SAID WE WOULD START!"

"Haha, Gokudera, don't be so mad. It's a snowball fight, after all~."

"WHY, YOU–!"

And that was how the throwing of wet snow balls started. Tsuna stuck close to Mukuro, who managed to find fortification behind a tall, snow-covered hedge. The taller man patiently stood there, hands in his pockets, having no interest at all in the snowball fight which was going on. Tsuna was laughing as he threw a snowball, and it missed Dino by a mile. He had never been good at aiming, but this was fun nonetheless. It was like growing up all over again.

"Aren't you going to throw one?" Tsuna asked Mukuro a few moments later, gazing at him with a tentative expression.

"No, kufufu," Mukuro said with a smile.

Tsuna paused. "…Are…are you not enjoying yourself?"

Mukuro's smile did not waver, but his eyes fell on Tsuna's. "I am enjoying myself, Tsunayoshi-kun, by watching you. You don't have to worry about me." His hand reached forward and brushed Tsuna's hair fondly. The latter blushed before the mismatched-eyed man pulled away with a smirk. "You've got hit many times, hm?"

"Eh?" Tsuna patted his hair with his gloves only to see snow falling to the ground. "Ah! I'll get them back." He tossed a weakly-packed snowball at Yamamoto, but it fell apart midair. He then received a snowball full-force into the face and he retreated behind the hedge again, groaning and rubbing his cold, aching face. He heard Gokudera exclaiming loudly and frantically.

"I'M SORRY, JYUUDAIME! I thought you were the other guy! I mean – not that you _look_ like the other guy but – hey! Don't _hit_ me when I'm talking to Jyuudaime, Lawnhead!" There was loud scuffling as Gokudera launched a flurry of snowballs at a raucously laughing Ryohei.

By 'other guy', Tsuna suspected that Gokudera was talking about Mukuro. No wonder the snowball to the face felt so hostile. The other was hiding a smirk with his hand; even though he wasn't participating in the snowball fight, he was still amused.

"It's okay, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna called out, still hiding behind the hedge. He no longer felt as safe as he had been a few minutes ago.

"Jyuudaime, I'm on your side now!"

Maybe Mukuro suspected that the silveret would rush towards them and they would no longer be alone, because before Tsuna could answer, Mukuro swiftly took hold of his hand and led him around the corner behind another hedge. Unfortunately, Yamamoto was there, and he grinned at the two, his expression showing no intention of attacking them with wet snow. So there they stayed, with Yamamoto as Tsuna's partner, much to Gokudera's chagrin.

After another few minutes of wet snow flying around, the five adults fell to the ground, laughing and exhausted. The three girls had sat themselves on a bench, giddily taking pictures and laughing as well. It was like childhood all over again, and Yamamoto was the one who recalled this.

"Feels like we're kids again, doesn't it?"

"Course not," Gokudera snapped, but Tsuna could tell that he had been enjoying himself as well. The girls giggled again by the side, and Tsuna glanced over to see what they were ogling at. It was Mukuro. The man was sitting, composed, on a bank of snow that was slightly more elevated than the ground where the rest of them were sitting. He was looking off to the side, a calm demeanor on his pale face. It was then, with the snow as the background, that Tsuna saw Mukuro as _simply breathtaking._

_Click. _

The sudden, soft noise caused Mukuro's reverie to disappear and he turned his gaze on Tsuna. The brunet was holding a cell phone; he had taken a picture of him. Mukuro smiled, not at all bothered. At first, Tsuna looked surprised, as if taking a picture had been the last thing on his mind and it had happened by mistake.

"A-ah, sorry. You just looked…" Tsuna faltered, not quite sure what to say.

"Oya, oya. Keeping my picture as a souvenir? I'm flattered, Tsunayoshi. Perhaps I won't charge you after all."

"Eh?" Tsuna stared at him. "You wouldn't…"

"Hahi! I want a picture of Mukuro-san, too!"

"That will be ten dollars each," Mukuro said with a forced smile, an irritated aura suddenly emitting from him.

Tsuna stared at him, flabbergastered. _He was being serious!_

Haru pouted. "Well, that's okay. I've already gotten pictures of everyone." She lifted her camera triumphantly into the air. Dino took one glance at it and grinned.

"Print those out and give some to me, okay?" Dino passed a hand over his eyes to shield them from the blinding sun as he rested on his back again, having no care for the cold. "Today was fun."

"Extremely fun!" Ryohei agreed enthusiastically. A hand fell on Tsuna's shoulder. "Let's do this again sometime, Sawada!" he yelled into his ear. Tsuna flinched away.

"Aha…" Tsuna smiled at him, though his attention was on Haru's camera. He wanted some pictures too, but Mukuro didn't seem to like having his picture taken, so now he wasn't quite sure what to do. He watched as Yamamoto stood up and glanced over his shoulder.

"Why don't we all have lunch together?"

"Ah, good idea!" Kyoko linked arms with Chrome, who smiled shyly before allowing the other to lead her to the little café just ahead. Haru was just slipping her camera into her bag when Tsuna decided to pluck up his courage and approach her. He noticed the others were also starting to follow the girls, but from the corner of his eye, Tsuna could see Mukuro lingering behind.

"Ah," Tsuna started, clearing his throat anxiously. "Do you mind if…if you give me some of those pictures as well? Th-the ones with me and Mukuro-san." He didn't know why he suddenly became so nervous when saying Mukuro's name. He attempted a smile, and Haru beamed at him.

"Sure!" she said. "I'll probably have them within a week! I'll give them to you at work, okay?" And with another bubbly grin, she chased after the other girls, leaving Tsuna standing alone. His eyes followed her, watching her ponytail bob behind her, and then he turned to the side.

Mukuro was waiting for him.

The man held a hand out, the corners of his lips curling ever so slightly. Tsuna couldn't stop the smile from spreading on his lips. He didn't know why, but he suddenly had an urge to hug Mukuro. He stepped forwards quickly and flung his arms around Mukuro's lithe waist. The navy-haired man seemed to step back with surprise, but he recollected himself and returned the embrace. Tsuna smiled against Mukuro's jacket and for the second time that day, Mukuro kissed him on the forehead.

"Ti amo, Tsunayoshi-kun."

* * *

**AN: **so there might be a few mistakes here and there. this is me being lazy and not reading back what i read. i know you guys have long-awaited this chapter, so here it is ~ thanks for reading ! i hope you enjoyed it. ;; i'll try and update as soon as i can. this may take months, but i am not giving up this fic. - seme.


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